MT7: More Than Human
by Elise Marie
Summary: SG-1 are still trying to come to terms with the changes to their team and lives when more obstacles are thrown at them after a change in government and the re-assignment of General Hammond. So soon after the loss of Janet Fraiser, is Hammond's reassignment and Jack's degenerating mental condition going to be the end for SG-1? Team/family fic. Set end S7/early S8.
1. Chapter 1

**Title** : More Than Human

 **Category** : Team/family angst/action

 **Spoilers/Season:** Set in an alternate universe end of series 7. Heavy spoilers for end of season 7, beginning of season 8 episodes, namely Lost City and New Order.

 **Rating** : PG13

 **Content Warnings:** Bit of episode linked torture.

 **Summary:** SG-1 are still trying to come to terms with the changes to their team and lives when more obstacles are thrown at them after a change in government and the re-assignment of General Hammond. So soon after the loss of Janet Fraiser, is Hammond's reassignment and Jack's degenerating mental condition going to be the end for SG-1?

 **Disclaimer: Stargate and SG-1 are the property of Showtime, MGM, Double Secret and Gekko and they do not belong to the author. This piece of fan-fiction was created solely for entertainment purposes and no money was exchanged. No copyright infringement was intended and the original characters, situations and plots are property of the author. This piece of fan-fiction must not be archived without the author's consent.**

 **Comments:** This fic deals directly with the episodes ending season seven and beginning season eight. Most of it roughly follows that plot, with twists due to the changes made. More Than You ended soon after Janet's death, Cassie's adoption into the O'Neill-Carter home, Daniel's realisation that Sarah was not the only important thing in his life, Nicola turning her pain into a new relationship with Major Evan Lorne and Jack still wondering if Sam was coping with Osiris' torture and the loss of Janet. Oh, and did I ever reveal the Zatarc? Some people aren't quite what they seem to be.

 **A/N:** Due to this following the episodes so closely, some of it is told from Nicola's POV to avoid just writing the dialogue from the episode. This is not to ram an OC down your throat, just some scenes are better from an "outsider's" view.

 **More Than Human**

Jack O'Neill sat down at his breakfast bar, placing the crossword he was still trying to complete down in front of him. He was concentrating on one question at a time and trying to distract his mind from going into work later that morning. He could not believe just how much his life had changed in the past year, and more significantly in the past few months. For over seven years, Jack had been the commanding officer of the SGC's first and most elite team - SG-1. That was until he had embarked on a relationship with his second in command. It had been a troubling few years leading up to them both finally making the decision to risk a lot for their happiness. Their decision had occurred soon after Major Sam Carter had been rescued from the clutches of the Goa'ulds Osiris and Anubis. Jack had been so thankful to have her home with him and their daughter that he had been willing to take any punishment that General Hammond had deemed appropriate. The General had made it clear that the pair of them could no longer be on the same team due to regulations and military rules. Jack had put his job and the world before himself and his family many times before and this was the most important situation in which he should put his family first. So he did, by becoming a part-time member of SG-1 with Sam. It meant that they were never on the team together, but they both kept their feet in the job they loved. Jack was more than happy to spend a lot more of his time with his daughter who seemed to be growing up faster than normal. He could not believe how much of her life he had already missed and every night when he put her to bed, as he stroked her blonde hair Jack vowed he would never miss any part of her life again.

He and Sam had quickly reached the decision that he would do the shorter missions and she would do the longer, unless their specialities deemed otherwise. Whilst he was happy with his role in the family and at work, taking an increased role in the day to day running of the SGC, Jack was concerned over Sam's roles. Prior to her abduction by Osiris, Sam had been happy to be a part-time SG-1 member and able to spend a large portion of her time working regular hours and spending time with her daughter. Ever since her kidnap and start of their relationship, Sam was working harder and longer than Jack could remember. Every time he broached the subject with his partner, she dismissed his concerns. Jack kept trying to convince himself that it was probably her desire to protect the planet from Anubis after Osiris' plan to capture Sam just to take her as a host. Deep down, Jack worried if Sam's obsession with work was more to ignore and bury what she had done as Osiris. She still declared that she could not remember any of her actions as Osiris, but Jack knew there was always a possibility of her remembering. He did not want her denying what had happened to her and hiding from those feelings. Everything was finally going so well between the pair of them as a couple and as a family that Jack did not want anything to make it go wrong. Although he did wish that Sam would be more willing to spend time with Daniella especially since the death of Janet Fraiser and their impending adoption of Cassie.

As Jack tried to focus on the crossword puzzle he had: The Atomic weight of Boron, his attention was drawn to the mug of coffee that was pushed along the table towards him. He picked up the mug and took a sip despite the temperature and smiled as he started to feel as if he were awakening. Jack glanced up at who had passed him the mug. "Thanks, Sasha." Since becoming the part-time member of SG-1, Jack had gotten to know their live in nanny a lot better than he had done. There was also the advantage that his altered work hours had on her; Sasha was able to live a bit more of her own life now. She still had no idea what either Jack or Sam did for a living and she still showed no sign of leaving them. Jack enjoyed the fact that he and Sasha had a morning routine, all five of them, including the girls, had a routine and he loved it. His life was so different to how he had ever lived it before and he would not swap a thing in the world.

"Off to the office today?" She moved towards the coffee pot to pour herself another cup and Jack watched her. Sometimes he thought that Sasha knew his house and his daughter better than he and Sam did.

"Yeah, meeting with the boss. Sam should be there, too."

Sasha nodded. "She's already had her breakfast and been sorting out a lot of papers."

Jack shrugged in nonchalance not ignorance. He tried his hardest to ignore work when he was at home and quite often at work he would not know what was going on around him. Their conversation was terminated by Daniella toddling into the room with her favourite teddy under her arm and a blanket in her hand. He pushed his coffee further away from the edge of the table, ensuring that she could not reach it as he then bent down and picked her up. "Morning, baby-girl."

"Hi, daddy." Daniella made herself comfortable on Jack's lap and then put her teddy - an elephant named Elly - on the table in front of her and started to play with Elly. "Elly hungry."

"Of course she is. What would she like to eat?"

"Muffin, please."

"How about Daniella?"

Daniella shook her head. "Daniella not hungry, just Elly." Before Jack could move Daniella and get up to get a muffin for her, Sasha passed one on a plate over to them. "Thanks."

"No problem, little one."

"Morning everyone," Sam greeted as she entered the room from the opposite doorway. "I've put the garbage out." She moved over towards Jack and their daughter and reached for his mug. After taking a sip of his coffee, she smiled at Jack and Daniella. "I have to get to work. Cassie's already left. She was meeting Josh."

Jack nodded at her as he watched Daniella very subtly turn herself and Elly away from Sam. "Don't worry, I've read the report this time, but I do want to meet Josh." Even before Cassie had become their responsibility, Jack had felt protective over her. Now that she lived with him and his family, Jack continued his protectiveness in preparation for Daniella's teenage years. Whether anyone liked it or not and regardless of how it had happened and Cassie being an older teenager, Jack now had two daughters and he would treat them both as he would any child.

"Good and Josh is coming for dinner next weekend." She smiled at him and as per usual Jack found himself smiling back for no real reason. When they had first moved in together for the sake of Daniella, he had not felt this happy, but then back then he and Sam were simply friends. It had never exactly been very simple until now when everything was so easy he did not have to try at all. "By the way," Sam commented as she leaned over his shoulder, "the atomic weight of boron?"

"Yeah?" Jack looked back down at his crossword. He had a weekly bet with her that he could complete it by a certain time and he was getting closer to the deadline.

"Not fat, honey." She kissed him on the cheek and he grabbed her wrist, forcing her to pause close to him. He kissed her on the lips and only released her wrist when he pulled back from the kiss.

"See you at work." Jack watched as Sam leaned down towards Daniella who instantly put Elly in her way so Sam kissed her daughter's elephant goodbye. "Bye, baby-girl."

"Bye." Sam smiled and said goodbye to Sasha before leaving the room and the house. Jack waited until he heard her car start and then resumed watching his daughter play. "Elly like muffin."

"I know she does. Is Daniella going to eat any of it?"

"No."

Jack exchanged looks with Sasha and she smiled sympathetically back at him. She had explained to him that it could be normal for children of Daniella's age to make their toy, or friend, do things or say things and that sometimes it was because the child had something to say which they felt bad or scared about. Jack tried to nurture his daughter and he hoped she would grow out of it rather than have some deep dark problem she could not speak about. There was one thing that did really trouble him, however. "See, she refused to kiss her again." Every morning, Sam was forced to kiss Elly goodbye and every evening Sam was forced to give a goodnight cuddle to Elly. That was when Sam was not off-world at any rate. It upset Jack because Daniella seemed to have no problem with either him, Sasha or Cassie, it was just Sam.

"It's just a phase. It can be completely normal for a toddler, and even older, to prefer one parent over the other. You have to also remember that in her eyes, she was abandoned." Jack nodded solemnly, knowing to what Sasha was referring. Sam had been missing for two weeks when Osiris had captured and then taken her as a host. Daniella had been without her mother and with a highly distracted father for those two weeks. After her recovery, Sam had thrown herself into her work and returned full time pretty much. When she was not on an off-world mission, Sam worked her old long hours on base. Daniella had lost the mother she knew and no matter how much it hurt Jack or how hard he tried to talk to Sam, she refused to speak about it and she continued to deny there was any problem. He was prevented from saying anything else to Sasha as his cell phone rang.

Flipping open the phone, Jack noticed that Daniella had given up trying to feed her elephant the muffin and was now eating it herself. "What?"

"Jack," said a very eager Daniel Jackson, "I think there might a repository of the Ancients on P3X-439."

"Uh-huh." Jack held the phone in-between his cheek and shoulder so that his free hand could hold Elly and make her dance for Daniella. The toddler giggled and sprayed the teddy with muffin crumbs causing Jack to grin in delight.

"I really think it's important that we head there."

"I've read the report. I think we should stay away." Jack spoke in his 'child' voice, the one that made Daniella giggle and made adults question that he was actually paying attention.

"But Jack..." Jack did not hear anything more that his team-mate and friend said as he passed his cell phone to his delighted daughter. He then proceeded to continue making Elly dance on the table and then he shook her closer to Daniella's face. Daniella giggled and turned the cell phone around and around in her little hands pressing buttons as she did so. After a while, she held the phone up to her face and gurgled into the speaker. Once Jack was satisfied that Daniel may have stopped with his arguments concerning the repository, Jack held out his hand for the cell phone. He honestly did not know why Daniel was ringing him to discuss his report. Not only was Jack going to be at the meeting concerning P3X in a few hours, but Jack had also actually read the report. "Therefore, we should go there."

"Let's just wait until the meeting, okay?"

"But Jack-"

"No, Daniel. Oh, wait, though, I need a seven letter word."

"I told Sam I wouldn't help you. Ask Daniella."

"Funny. At least she's more fun than you." Jack did not wait for Daniel to answer as he closed his cell phone and put it down on the side. "Come on then, baby-girl, down you get." She had finally finished her breakfast muffin although the crumbly remains had scattered all across the table and had probably covered her blanket. He figured that her blanket was already filthy enough so did nothing about it as he placed Daniella, still holding Elly and the blanket, on the floor and they all toddled off. Reaching for his now lukewarm mug of coffee, Jack drank it all down before grabbing his crossword and then going to get ready for the meeting. 


	2. Chapter 2

Doctor Elizabeth Weir really could not believe the day that she was having. At first she had thought that it was going to be a bad day because of her almost argument with some random Russian man over a taxi cab, but it had gone from bad to just plain strange. Not only had she met the President and the Vice President of her country, but she had also discovered that humans were not alone in the universe. Or, to be more exact, there were a lot more humans spread across the galaxy along with a myriad of alien races too. Then, President Hayes had thrown it on her that he wanted her to take the position as the civilian leader of Stargate Command, the facility through which humans travelled to other planets and through which aliens could attack Earth. Although they also, apparently, had ships, too.

Aliens. Other planets. Elizabeth laughed to herself in the back of the limousine in which she sat. She glanced up at the driver, but he did not even bat an eyelid at her odd action. He was a military man and was possibly used to a lot more unusual and secretive shenanigans than a woman surrounded by boxes and laughing at nothing. She wondered then if her driver knew of the Stargate. Of course she could not ask him that, even though she was a civilian she knew what top secret meant. However, aside from Vice President Kinsey she had not discussed the new revelations with anyone and she was eager to. Unfortunately, Elizabeth doubted that anyone at her new place of work would be up for developing a friendship with her and being there to discuss everything she had learnt and was going to discover. Elizabeth was replacing an air force General who had been in charge of the Stargate program for over seven years and he had not voluntarily quit. Despite her civilian status, Elizabeth knew what the military were like and they would not take too kindly at their general being ousted for her. To make matters worse, they would not like her civilian status and all Elizabeth could hope was that the civilian scientists gave her an easier time. From what she had read, the civilians at the base were not treated as second class citizens due to their non-military status. There was a civilian archaeologist on the flagship team - SG-1.

SG-1 worried Elizabeth. From what she had read, and been briefly told by Vice President Kinsey, they were the unit who had caused the most problems over the past seven years and they had the greatest loyalty to General George Hammond. As the flagship team, however, everyone else would look to them with regards to how to react and treat Elizabeth. After reading a few files on previous missions and the current standing of the galaxy, Elizabeth had moved onto the personnel files of the five members of SG-1. It was going to be odd, trying to ignore the political standing of Earth when she now dealt past the global scale. She no longer had to remember leaders of different nations and where the tyrants in power were because now she had to know who was the most senior Goa'uld. She had read the file of Colonel Jack O'Neill first, which lead directly into the file of Major Samantha Carter and their daughter. Elizabeth had never heard anything like it in military circles.

Understanding human nature as she did, Elizabeth could understand the friendships which had formed between the four members who had been part of a team for four solid years. She could even understand the romantic undercurrents which easily existed between close friends and she could only imagine how that was heightened when you fought battles for your life on a regular occurrence. However, Elizabeth also knew the very strong rule of no fraternisation and she was confused by the acceptance that these two officers had from their general. She shook her head and gazed out of the window at all of the townhouses passing her by. She wondered how on Earth she was supposed to lead a military operation and uphold a list of regulations which did not apply to her. If General Hammond had been okay with O'Neill and Carter being alternate members of the flagship team and in a romantic relationship, why should she waltz in and alter it? But then Elizabeth wondered if she would ever know when she should step in.

SG-1's latest mission had been to P3X-439 where Anubis had attacked, but luckily all of SG's one, three and five had come back okay except for O'Neill having had a repository of Ancient knowledge downloaded into his mind. What bothered Elizabeth more than the fact she did not fully understand what _'repository of Ancient knowledge downloaded'_ meant was that in that instance both Carter and O'Neill had been fully functioning members of SG-1 and allowed off-world. General Hammond had known these two officers for seven years, he knew their capabilities, and he knew when they worked best together and when their romantic involvement could hinder a mission. Clearly, he had decided on this most recent mission that the pair of them together was essential. Elizabeth had no idea how she was ever supposed to know the difference. From what she had read, Elizabeth had no other reservations about the other members of SG-1, except possibly Teal'c - an alien member.

Having never met an alien before, mainly due to the fact that less than twenty-four hours ago Elizabeth had no idea aliens definitely existed, she was unsure what to expect when meeting Teal'c. She could only assume that he had proven his loyalty over the past seven years so she should not even question doubting him. There had been a photo in his file and he looked normal enough, by Elizabeth's standards, aside from a golden tattoo on his forehead which made him stand out. He did not have tentacles, or pointy ears and he was not covered in fur. Elizabeth had no idea what to say at their first meeting, but then she had no idea what to say to any member of the SGC. She knew that she was not going to be welcome and that everyone would look at her knowing that she was the reason General Hammond was not there. Trying to re-focus her thoughts on the many files in her lap, Elizabeth could not help but worry. She knew that she had to be strong and forceful, that she had to be their leader from the first second and be nothing like a pretender to the throne or try and be anyone's friend.

Her eyes lost focus on the words in front of her as it dawned on her that she was leaving her life behind for the time being. She had no friends in Colorado and she had no idea if Simon was just going to move to be with her. Normally she would have considered discussing a new job with her boyfriend, but this job had been sprung on her and no one could say no to the President of the United States of America. She had been forced to leave him a note with a cover story about a treaty which needed her help. It had happened before when she had upped and gone with barely any notice, but none of those jobs had the potential for such longevity and none held this kind of secretiveness. Elizabeth was very aware that tomorrow morning she would be walking into a military installation with no friends, no respect and no hope for friends. There was no advice or guidance for her, and no one from whom she could seek guidance. The fate of the planet was soon going to be resting in her lap and she was not caught up yet.

There was the military team that consisted of an almost married couple, one of whom was apparently on a deadline before he died, there were aliens out in the galaxy who wanted the planet destroyed and Elizabeth was sure there was a lot more that she needed to know. She had just learnt that humans were far from alone in the universe and yet she had never felt so alone. With that depressing thought, Elizabeth gave up trying to read the files and resumed watching the passing scenery as she tried not to think about Simon and the life she had left behind, the life to which she could never return.

SG – SG – SG

He paused in the kitchen where he had been sent to collect another two beers. As he closed the refrigerator, Jack caught a glimpse of his reflection and he hated it. When Sam had been captured by Osiris, Jack had put his family before his career and the safety of the planet by risking everything to go and rescue her. Ever since that point in time, he had endeavoured to keep his family first. Work had kept him from Sara and Charlie just as it had kept Sam at bay for so many years, he was not going to let it keep him from Daniella or Sam anymore. Until he had 'gated to P3X-439 and willingly put his head into the Ancient device, that is. Nothing had changed for him yet. He was not spouting an Ancient and dead language. He was not yet wandering around building random things and unable to communicate with anyone but Daniel and yet the changes were all around him. It was not often that Sam and he had the weekend to themselves, allowing Sasha two whole days away. He had returned from work after telling General Hammond what he had done and told Sasha to spend the weekend with her boyfriend, Andy. Cassie had already arranged a sleepover at her friend's house and together, Jack and Sam had agreed to not tell her until after one last night of happiness. The teenager had lost her entire planet six years ago and then had her adopted mother die in the line of duty. They knew that she would have to learn the truth concerning Jack's condition, but there was nothing she could do aside from cry and wallow if told now. All he wanted to do was spend the next two days with Sam and his daughter. There was also the fact that he was drinking alcohol in the house which pointed to the changes which had occurred.

He rarely drank alcohol anymore. Ever since Daniella and Sam had moved in, it had been banned from the house. Sam had specifically gone out to buy some whilst he sat watching _The Simpsons_ with Daniella. They both knew that this was more than likely his final weekend as a coherent human being on the planet Earth. He just hoped that he had done the right thing. After months of putting his family first, Jack had reverted to his old self by putting his damn planet first and he hated himself for it. He had stood there at the repository and had not wanted to do it. What with Anubis bearing down on them and then Daniel launching himself at the monument, Jack had known there was only one answer. He could not let any other member of his team do it. They were each far too important to put their heads in the repository and for all they knew it was Jack's genetics which allowed the download. He had paused after the monument sprung open with fear running through his veins. He did not want to do this. He did not want to lose his daughter and Sam. He did not want to lose himself as an alien race's knowledge re-wrote his brain. He wanted to step away and put his family first. He wanted to destroy the thing to prevent Anubis getting his evil hands on it, but leave with none of them days away from death.

No matter what differences Jack had made in his life, he could not walk away from this. He tried to argue that he was doing it for his daughter, that by allowing the download he could save the planet and therefore make the galaxy a safer place for Daniella. His mind clung to that thought as he tried to deny every other. He hoped that if he kept that thought strongest in his mind he could maybe delay the alien knowledge from taking over his system. He was a different man than he was five years ago when he had first stuck his head into an alien contraption. Shaking his head, Jack moved away from the reflection and walked back into the den where Sam was comfortably sitting on the couch. He definitely had more to live for now.

"Thought maybe you got lost." She smiled as he handed her the beer and then he carefully sat down next to her. He was mindful because curled in the opposite corner to Sam was Daniella. She was cuddling Elly and the blanket which was eternally in her hands, now covered her as she slept peacefully.

"Just thinking." He took a sip of his beer and passed it to Sam who then placed it on the end table. Jack turned to Daniella who was sleeping so peacefully. He loved watching her sleep and every night when he put her to bed, Jack promised her that he would always be here for her. His actions earlier on today would make him a liar. Gently, he stroked Daniella's blonde fringe back a bit, revealing more of her face. When she slept, Daniella was the spitting image of her mother with her blonde hair and facial structure. It was only when she was awake with her eyes open that he could see the chocolate brown of them. Everyone said that she had Jack's eyes and smile. Jack was not too sure about the smile, but she definitely had his eyes and his dimples. He desperately wanted to keep this image of her. If this was the final memory that he saw as his mind was erased, he would be grateful.

"I should have done it." Her voice was barely above a whisper and Jack knew it was not because their daughter was sleeping peacefully. Daniella could sleep through almost any amount of noise. With the hand that was not stroking his daughter's head, Jack took hold of Sam's hand.

"What? Stuck your head in that thing?" He saw her nod from the corner of his eye. Turning from his daughter, Jack met Sam's eyes. "You nuts? Carter, you're the single most important resource this country has." Sometimes, out of habit, he called her ' _Carter'_. After so many years, it had become his name for her. Other people called her ' _Sam'_ and most people at work called her ' _Major'_. He was the only person who called her ' _Carter'_. "Plus, Daniella needs her mother."

"She needs her father, too."

"I know!" His voice had risen and Daniella stirred and rolled over. He knew what a huge mistake he had made and he did not need her reminding him of the fact. "Sorry," he mumbled before explaining. "It was stupid. I know that. I didn't think it through." There was a silent pause and Sam did not make an attempt to speak. "Not on a personal level." Despite the thoughts of Daniella and Sam which had run through his mind as he had stared at the repository, its arms sprung out and ready to grab him, he had not thought fully about the ramifications. The statement Sam had just made had not entered his thoughts in those exact words. With hindsight, Jack really wished that he had picked his family over the world, allowing the repository to be destroyed. Sitting on his couch in his house with the woman he loved and daughter he cherished, Jack did not care what happened out in the universe. He wanted to stay exactly how he was right now for the rest of time.

"I know all the crap about the greater good and the planet, but-"

"We keep sacrificing our lives," he finished. "Everything. Our daughter."

"One day the sacrifice won't pay off."

Jack considered her words. Stroking her hand in comfort, he whispered, "There'll be a way out of this one."

"What if there isn't?"

Jack could not bear to think of the answer to her question. It was his worst fear combined with the dreams that plagued the night. He stood up and carefully picked Daniella up. "I'm gonna take Daniella to bed." It had always been a common trait of his to shut down, close off and run away from a problem. Since starting their relationship, he had tried to not indulge that habit too much, but in times of stress he reverted to type. He had no idea how to deal with this problem. He was possibly the most qualified man in the world to deal with losing his mind and an impending alien threat, but he had no idea how to deal with his current situation.

Quietly and gently, Jack carried Daniella up the stairs and into her bedroom. Originally, they had bought a four bedroom house so that the three of them could each have a room and then Sasha could have the fourth. Even after their relationship evolved, Jack and Sam had kept separate bedrooms until Janet had sadly been killed on a mission to P3X-666 and Cassie had moved into Sam's empty bedroom. There was small room downstairs which had never been given full purpose until she had taken over being in command every other mission, Sam had needed to bring a lot more work home with her. Especially given the amount of research she had been throwing herself into over the past few months. The door to the room was locked because of the nature of the work she brought home, along with most of the drawers being lockable. He placed his daughter into her cot and tucked a blanket up over her. He placed Elly next to her, knowing that if she awoke she would need her elephant nearby.

Normally he could consider himself obsessed with his daughter, but he was now surpassing his usual. He should have spent more time with his daughter. He should have become part-time when he first learnt about Daniella. Maybe he should have quit work completely, all so that he could spend that time with his daughter. That way he would never have been in the position to put his head in the damn repository. Daniella stirred in her sleep and Jack could not believe how adorable she was. No matter how much he loved Sam, Daniella was the love of his life and he had made the bad decision to stick his head in alien technology, effectively signing his own death certificate. He declared in his thoughts that he loved his daughter more than anything else in the universe and yet he was willing to die for the universe.

In the distance Jack heard a knock on the door and reluctantly he left his daughter's bedside to answer it. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, Jack glanced into the den and wondered where Sam was. He reached the front and opened it to be greeted by a hat wearing Teal'c and a civilian dressed Nicola.

"Are we interrupting anything, sir?"

Jack shook his head and pushed the door open wider to allow them entrance. "What have I told you about _'sir'_?"

Nicola shrugged as she walked into Jack's house and held up a four pack of beer. "Thought you could do with some more."

Smiling, Jack took the beer from Nicola and pointed her in the direction of the den as he followed, assuming that Teal'c would close the front door. Jack took his original seat on the couch and he indicated for Nicola and Teal'c to sit on the comfy seats. "Where's Danny?" Despite the fact that he wanted to spend the weekend alone, Jack had known that his closest friends would turn up. He had expected Danny to be with the other two.

"He will be late."

Nicola nodded at Teal'c's answer. "He always sees Sarah on a Friday."

"How is the ex-Osiris doing?" Jack knew that it was a harsh comment given Sam's situation, but it was yet another one of his coping mechanisms.

"Daniel thinks that she's making progress." Nicola took a beer that Jack held out to her and then he passed one to Teal'c. "I think it's going slowly. He doesn't say too much."

Jack was interested but it was at that moment that Sam entered the room from the kitchen, sitting down next to him and he noticed the white box in Teal'c's hands. "Doughnuts?"

"Indeed."

SG – SG – SG

Daniel sat down at the table opposite Sarah and he watched her delicately open the pizza box in front of them. She had been home and safe for a couple of months now and recently she had been allowed to move out of the base and live alone. Sarah did not like it, but she understood that it was a step on the road to her full recovery and she seemed intent on recovering. Last week over their usual Friday night meal, Sarah had admitted that enough of her life had been stolen by Osiris and she was not going to allow him to keep any more of it from her. Daniel was well aware that there was still a long path for her to take, but he knew that she would get there. What he did not know was how much of the old Sarah Gardner he had known would return. There were strong differences in her personality since her freedom and whilst Daniel could see some of his old friend and lover, she was not all there and he doubted that she ever would be. Sarah would probably always be afraid of the dark and of being alone. Thankfully, Sarah had stopped craving Osiris and she had stopped crying over how he had abandoned her. Daniel had found those comments the hardest to try and sympathise with because all he could see was the evil in Osiris, especially given his plan to capture and then take Sam as a host. Sarah, on the other hand, had seen Osiris as her constant companion and in a similar way to Stockholm syndrome, she missed Osiris.

There was still no further clarification on Osiris' over all grand master plan. They were still at the point where they knew he had used a Zatarc infiltrator to obtain Sam and then he jumped hosts. Daniel was still in agreement that the rescue of Sam had been far too easy, but so far there had been no far reaching ramifications. There was still the idea of questioning Sam or Sarah being thrown around by higher up military leaders. Thankfully Sarah's psychologist had agreed with Daniel with regards to Sarah being too fragile mentally to revisit her blended memories. Sam had not spoken of her blending at all and Jack was not about to let anyone question her. Sarah had mentioned during one of her more random moments that Osiris had been forced to take Sam as a host and that he had known it would be his last ever host. It troubled both Jack and Daniel that there was still something afoot.

"How's your week been?" Daniel asked and then took a bite of his pizza. "I'm sorry I couldn't visit during the week, but I've been on a mission."

"That's okay." She smiled comfortingly as if she was trying to ease his guilt. Nothing eased Daniel's guilt anymore. "I went on a bit of a trip. I visited the university again."

Daniel studied Sarah for any tell on her face whether the trip had been okay. The university had been the site of her blending and where she had first watched her hands kill someone, someone that she had known and cared for as well. He could only imagine how difficult that had been, especially given the fact that she would have had to lie to everyone with whom she came into contact. "That's good. Are you thinking of heading back there?"

She shrugged and ripped a piece of pizza from the slice before popping it into her mouth. "It's not like I can talk to any of them about… anything, is it?"

"I wasn't trying to get rid of you or anything. I guess, though, that in the long run it could be a good thing." He wanted her to get better and return to the life from which she should never have been torn. There was a selfish part of him that did not want her to evolve to a place in her healing when she no longer needed him. Daniel needed to know that she still needed him, that he was still able to help her because he felt like he was to blame for everything that had ever happened to her.

She smiled sadly at him. "I'm not sure I could ever return to that life." She shook her head as she took another bite of the pizza. "Ignore what Osiris did to me, what I did to people, I know too much now." He nodded in agreement with her, understanding what she meant. "How am I supposed to work in the Egyptology department of a university or a museum when I know the truth? Daniel, there are freaking aliens out there!" She laughed and he could not help but laugh slightly with her. Sometimes he forgot quite how crazy his own life was with everything he knew that the majority of the planet had no knowledge of. "And," she continued, "it's not as if I'm trained for any other kind of job, is it? I mean, the career I trained for is out of the question and I've been missing for years. It's not as if I picked up any translatable skills."

"Leadership." They both grinned at each other.

"Why have you been so good to me, Daniel?" Sarah sighed as she stared him directly in the eye, needing to know the answer to her question.

"You're my friend."

"And?"

"No 'and'."

"I've known you too long, Daniel. Just because I've changed, it doesn't mean that you have."

He nodded and answered her truthfully. "I feel guilty." Deep down, he knew it was stupid because he never brought the Goa'uld to the university; a canopic jar had. Unlike with Sha're and Skaara, Daniel had done nothing to put Sarah into harm's way nor had he left her unprotected when she could have been at risk. From the moment he had walked back onto the university campus, Sarah had already been blended and there had been nothing that he could have done about it.

"What on Earth for?" Her voice had risen slightly and Daniel was shocked because she had mostly been incredibly timid since her return. "My abduction had nothing to do with you. You weren't even there. I should be the one feeling guilty."

"Why?"

"I knew everything as Osiris. I knew what he was thinking; most of what he was planning. He never hid his thoughts from me, but I knew there was something bigger at play. I know that it hasn't happened yet. I think part of me knew what he wanted Major Carter for. That part of me knew what suffering he wanted you all to feel."

Daniel got up from his chair and moved across to her, taking her hands in his. "That is not your fault. Sam being captured and his torture on all of us is not your fault." He paused to let the sentences sink in, hoping that Sarah would finally absorb them and believe them. "Anyway, we've all escaped and have recovered."

"Have you?" she asked with narrow eyes. "You and Colonel O'Neill have come across plenty of Goa'uld, you've both been tortured by them before." In a whisper she continued, "Has Lieutenant Carpenter?"

Daniel felt stung by his friend's question and he was not sure why. He had barely seen Nicola except for missions and work related reasons since Sarah's return. They were both full-time members of SG-1 now, but somehow that had equalled spending less social time together. Daniel had put it down to her desire to stay aloof from those with whom she worked. He was not stupid, however, and he did know that the past few months had not been easy on her. Everyone had taken Sam's capture hard especially when not long after, Janet had been killed. It was the only time Daniel had ever seen Nicola show any emotion; she had cried at the funeral. If he was truthful to himself, Daniel had been busy outside of work trying to figure out Osiris' grand plan and trying to help Sarah. "I, uh, haven't really seen her to speak to." It had never occurred to him before that she might not be over the events yet.

"I saw her in the SGC last week." Sarah paused, looking down at her pizza again. "She's different."

"How?"

"She's altered, changed, like me."

Daniel pulled Sarah's head towards his chest and embraced her. "I'll help you get better, I promise."

"Why?"

He could not tell her the truth, but the guilt which filled his soul knew why he would do anything to help her. It was because he had failed Sha're.


	3. Chapter 3

Jack closed the door to his team-mates and friends and rested his forehead against the cool wood of his front door. His weekend was going from bad to worse and he had no idea what he was supposed to do. He had spent the evening wallowing in guilt after Daniella had fallen asleep from their quality family time together. He still regretted what he had done, how he had voluntarily ended his life when he desperately did not want to leave Daniella. Jack had chosen the world over his family and he knew that he would have to live with the consequences for the next few days before an alien library of knowledge killed him. All because he had not been selfish and picked his family. Or maybe it had been a selfish act. Jack could not deny that he still held a lot of guilt over Charlie, Sara and his first attempt at a normal family. Sometimes, late at night, when Jack would watch Sam sleeping peacefully beside him he panicked about being in a normal family with her and Daniella. He worried that he would do something to screw it up again. He feared that something would happen to Daniella. He would break out in a cold sweat panicking that his family could be ripped apart. He had barely recovered from losing Charlie and then Sara; Jack knew that losing Daniella and Sam to anything would destroy him completely and there would be no salvation. He doubted that he could do it; that he could be the family man he so desired. What if Jack had put his head into the alien repository because it took all of that pressure off himself?

Even if that were true, the news that General Hammond had brought that evening scuppered everything. Hammond had been relieved of command with a civilian being brought in to take his job. There was also the fact that the SGC had been shut down for a three month review process. Whatever Jack's reasons for allowing the knowledge download, he did not want to die in vain. If he needed to die to protect the planet, and by default his child and family, he was more than willing to, but if they could not use the Stargate then he would die without being able to protect the planet. That was not what he had agreed to, but there was nothing he could do about it now except try and convince a civilian of the importance.

"Jack?" He turned at the sound of Sam's voice and he saw her standing in the doorway to the den. "Are you okay?" He nodded, but she was clearly not convinced. "We'll convince this Doctor Weir to let us use the Stargate and we'll get you better. We'll stop Anubis."

"Wish I could believe you."

Sam walked towards him, put her arms around his neck and kissed him. Responding, he wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her closer. She broke away, smiling up at him. "Let's get you to bed, flyboy."

"Yes, ma'am."

SG – SG – SG

It was Monday morning and Nicola was back on base, much to her own dislike. Day by day it was getting more and more difficult to come to work and travel to other planets. She should have been glad when she was promoted to a full-time member of SG-1 when Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill took over shared command. Unfortunately, she had not seen it as a blessing at first. Nicola had had a slightly troublesome time with some members of the SGC because of her lack of desire to become friends with them. The only person she had really made friends with until recently was Daniel and she endeavoured to keep others at a slight distance. That had all begun to change after her kidnap and torture at the hands of Osiris. Her usual person to talk to was base psychologist Doctor MacKenzie, but he had been elsewhere and Nicola had found herself turning to Doctor Janet Fraiser instead. Despite all of SG-1 being given some downtime after the harrowing mission to rescue Major Carter, it had not been enough time as far as Nicola was concerned when she was asked to return to full time work under the command of Major Carter on alternating missions.

Nicola had always compartmentalised her life. She had kept her private life distinctly different to her work life to avoid any issues with concerns to regulations and the life and death manner of their job. This personal setting had failed when Nicola had been asked to work for Major Carter. She had spent months being the alternate with Major Carter and barely crossing paths with her. In fact, until her command, the most time Nicola had spent with Major Carter was when Osiris had tortured her to death. She could still remember on that first day as she had faced Major Carter and all she saw were glowing eyes. It had been in that moment that Nicola knew she had returned to work far too soon, but there was nothing she could do about it.

Over the months it had become easier and Doctor Fraiser had helped a lot. Along with her friendships with others stationed at Stargate Command, Nicola had started to find the family that everyone had always spoken off. Her nightmares of feeling her lungs take their last whimper of a breath faded and the sensation of feeling her heart stop lessened. Until a fateful mission to P3X-666 where Doctor Fraiser had been treating injured Airman Simon Wells when she had been fatally shot. In death, Doctor Fraiser became Janet to Nicola and she cried over the loss of such a good person.

Since that point, Nicola's recovery seemed to stagnate and she now found it difficult to concentrate at work. It really did not help that in her direct grief, Nicola had taken herself straight to Major Evan Lorne's home and later on forced their friendship onto a new level. Over the past month or so, she had continued seeking out Evan when she felt the need as he, too, had seemed happy with the change in their relationship. Deep down she knew that they could not continue as they had been – no two friends could cross the lines they had and continue forever. Not helping her ability to concentrate was the fact that on Friday night after leaving the O'Neill-Carter home, Nicola had made her way to a bar and got incredibly drunk before throwing herself at Evan. He had not taken advantage of her and she had not spoken or seen him since.

She was in the SGC briefing room with the rest of SG-1 – including both Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill – the new base commander Doctor Elizabeth Weir and Vice President Kinsey along with the recently arrived Bra'tac. Bra'tac had brought news that Anubis was on his way to Earth with his entire fleet. When the news had been passed on to Nicola she had felt her blood freeze and wished that she could just find a hole in which to curl up in. She would have sworn to anyone that her heart had stopped and all of the air within her lungs had been forced out. Everything had blurred and she felt as if she were lying on the floor of a Goa'uld ship again with Major Carter standing over her, Osiris' eyes glowing menacingly.

"Yes, Colonel, that's exactly what I'm suggesting!" Vice President Kinsey's voice was so loud and angry that Nicola jumped and flinched. She was trying her best to listen and pay attention because no matter what her issues with going off-world or the fear of being tortured, Nicola would fight to her last breath for her planet. She noticed Daniel looking at her curiously and she smiled and nodded. He seemed reassured that she was okay as he returned to the conversation. She missed his friendship.

Nicola listened as Colonel O'Neill suddenly spoke Ancient and she turned her head to him as did everyone else. She saw Major Carter put a hand out to him which was followed quickly by Vice President making a disapproving noise.

"This," Vice President Kinsey said shaking his hand at them. "This is what has been allowed to happen under General Hammond. Two officers on apparently the best team our planet has to defend us, shacked up together and constantly making decisions based on their hormones."

Nicola's eyes travelled to Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill to find the Major had removed her hands from his and had put them on her lap. Colonel O'Neill had no problem talking back at anyone without a care if they were his superior. The Major could do so sometimes, but clearly not this time. Nicola still found it incredibly difficult to talk back to anyone considered to be her superior which was why she was so quiet during this meeting. Mister Kinsey was the Vice President of their country and, like it or not, Doctor Weir was now the commander of the SGC. She may have started to allow working friendships to form with the rest of SG-1, but Nicola had not yet evolved far enough to speak out against her superiors.

"Hormones?" Colonel O'Neill demanded. "You think my hormones made me shove my head into an alien device that would rewrite my brain? You must have been a blast as a teenager, Kinsey."

"Colonel," Doctor Weir warned, but there was no stopping him now.

"No, I'm sorry, but how did my relationship with Carter affect my decision to do something that will more than likely kill me?"

"How do we know that you even did that?" Kinsey demanded. "It's funny how that scenario cropped up at the same time as Master Bra'tac arrived with some terrible warning which is also just after all Stargate operations are suspended. Using it as an escape plan, Colonel? What was the point?"

"Vice President," Daniel objected, "Jack did what he did so we could find the location of the Lost City."

"Ah, yes, this amazing Lost City which will be Earth's saviour. Where is it then, O'Neill?"

"It'll come to me, cos I had my head sucked into an alien device because of my hormones for Major Carter. If you'll excuse me."

"You're not dismissed, Colonel!" Kinsey yelled at Colonel O'Neill's back.

The Colonel spun back around. "And I'm the highest ranking military officer on this base, so bite me!"

Nicola's mouth was hanging open in shock at the colonel's actions. She had never seen him act like this at all, but then she had not been a member of the SGC when he had last had his brain rewritten. She watched as he stormed down the stairs without a glance back. Daniel almost immediately ran after him as he did not need to follow military protocols. Nicola decided that the best course of action was to remain in her seat until dismissed by either the Vice President or Doctor Weir. It was Major Carter who started up the discussion again, asking the doctor if they could use the Stargate if they learnt the location of the Lost City. Nicola had phased out again as she watched the interplay between the other two females. She had overcome a lot of her prejudice against Major Carter, seeing her mainly as a female officer and not a Goa'uld torturer intent on making her suffer. She still called Colonel O'Neill 'Colonel' or 'Sir', but she did manage to call Major Carter 'Sam' when they were outside of work.

The thought that Anubis was on his way scared Nicola a lot. Everyone knew that Osiris had had some deeper plan and that the rescue of Major Carter had been far too easy. They had never uncovered his plan, or the Zatarc or what Anubis was planning. It seemed possible now that his plan involved something to do with heading to Earth. She knew it was an irrational fear, but she did not want Anubis to torture her. Nicola was convinced that Anubis would be a much more sadistic torturer than Osiris ever was. Except for the simple fact that Osiris had tortured Nicola in an incredibly human way by stabbing her in the gut and watching her bleed out, which caused her to still question how much of it had been Sam.

Never in all of her career had Nicola wanted to run and hide from everything and everyone.

SG – SG – SG

Quickly he found himself in the empty locker room and Jack did not even pause as he slammed the door shut behind him and punched the nearest locker. His knuckles hurt from the impact, but it was not enough. He punched the locker door again leaving a dent in it this time. The pain flashing through his knuckles was still not enough so he punched again. He followed it with his left fist, then his right again. Vaguely he heard the door he had just slammed closed open again, but it did not alter his rhythm. He sharply brought his knee upwards into the locker door and then stopped, breathing heavily at his exertion.

"It must be bad if you're willing to risk your knees."

Jack turned and leaned his back against the dented locker door. "Not your locker is it, Daniel?" He probably would not apologise or regret his actions even if it were his. Despite having known Kinsey for years, Jack could not believe how low the new Vice-President could stoop. The timing of everything was awful and all Jack could think was that he had betrayed his family to try and help the planet, and he was now being prevented from doing that. He really wanted to punch Kinsey repeatedly.

"We'll figure out a way to sort this." Jack opened his eyes and looked at Daniel sceptically, to which Daniel shrugged his shoulders and smiled. None of them knew how to solve this problem because it all hinged on Doctor Elizabeth Weir, a woman none of the team knew much about. She had to be a reasonable woman, Jack hoped, and she would have to realise that Jack was as good as dead if they did not try something. The whole planet was at risk given the fact that Anubis was on his way and searching for the Lost City, too. It was Anubis versus Earth and whoever got to the Lost City first took the trophy, the championship, the galaxy. Too much was at stake for SG-1 to allow someone unknown civilian stand in their way. "I'll explain it the doctor without Kinsey around. She'll see sense."

"Kinsey," Jack growled. "If he were that locker…"

"Yeah, I don't think Sam would be too happy about you attacking the Vice-President."

"Give it a few more days and I reckon she'll be the one threatening to lynch him." Jack could not contain a smile at the image he conjured in his mind. Sam, like Jack, would do anything for their family.

"How is she taking this?"

Jack exhaled slowly as he thought. "She hasn't said much. She declared the other night that it should have been her to do it. I think she understands that I'm the one who had to do it, but she doesn't want anything to happen to me."

"That's understandable, Jack, she loves you."

He shook his head. "It's not just that." Jack looked all around him, checking that there was no one else around despite them standing near the door. "Ever since Osiris… She's been a bit off. She says that she still can't remember anything, but I'm not sure. I think she wishes she'd put her head in that thing so that it'd be me left with Daniella. I think she's scared of being left with her."

"What do you mean? She loves Daniella. She's her mother."

"I know. Maybe she can remember some of what she did and it makes her not want to be around Daniella. Maybe she's scared. I don't know. I just know that she's been… off since we found her."

"You don't think that there's something else going on, do you?"

"What? No." Jack replied quickly despite the concerns Janet had had before her death and his own concerns he had voiced only really to her. "I was willing to give her time, knowing that I'd be there, but now… Now I'm not so sure I will be." Jack paused and both men sat there in silence until Jack finally spoke. "Daniel, will you…?"

"Of course," he promised without Jack needing to finish his question. "Are you forgetting that I've been her God-father longer than you've known you were her father?" Daniel grinned at this and Jack rolled his eyes. "I'll make sure that both of them are fine, I promise."

Jack nodded his thanks to his friend and breathed slightly easier. He was glad that Daniel had not fobbed him off with _'We'll save everything'_ or _'It won't come to that'_. Jack needed to know that his family was safe because that was all that mattered.


	4. Chapter 4

Teal'c turned one final time and looked at the people whom he called family standing just a short distance away, their faces bathed in a blue light. He hoped that the people of the Tau'ri would realise what needed to be done before things developed too far down the course of action. He studied his friends, his family and wished sadly that things could be different. Colonel O'Neill looked sad, but he had fixed a smile on his face to try and comfort Teal'c. Teal'c hoped that he would indeed see his friend again even if it were to watch him lose his mind. He did not like the idea of being so far removed from his family when they were in trouble and with the knowledge that very soon, O'Neill would start to go downhill. He felt that his place was at his friend's side in such a time of need, however, Anubis was a threat that would not go away no matter how hard members of the Tau'ri tried to hide their heads in the proverbial sand. Teal'c was a proactive man and as such not one who could simply sit by and watch O'Neill who would first lose his mind and then his planet. He could not help his friend's mental problems, nor could he locate the Asgard especially with all Stargate travel suspended after this wormhole. No, the only thing left for Teal'c to do was to try and stop Anubis and he would do so until his dying breath.

He nodded one final time at O'Neill, Major Carter, Daniel Jackson and Lieutenant Carpenter before he stepped into the Stargate and travelled across the stars. As he emerged, Teal'c's eyes quickly adjusted to the dark night skies on the planet and he turned to Bra'tac who led the way away from the Stargate. Trying to focus on the mission ahead – to procure a ship – Teal'c tried to leave his worrying thoughts of his family behind. It was not an easy task. He was all too aware of how much he and the team had lost over the past few months. After Major Carter's abduction by Osiris, the team had suffered at her hands and then returned home only to lose Doctor Fraiser not long after. Teal'c could not bear the thought of losing O'Neill, but he knew for Major Carter it would be much worse. He was concerned that she would not cope after her Osiris ordeal and losing Doctor Fraiser with the loss of Colonel O'Neill.

"Teal'c." He turned to his Jaffa friend to see him standing at the entrance to a dwelling. "In here." Teal'c nodded and followed his friend into his new home, hoping that it would not be his home for too long.

SG – SG – SG

Nicola looked up as he approached her with a friendly smile on his face. She smiled back and nodded when he asked with his hands if he could sit down. She watched him sit down opposite her and stretch his legs out across the floor. Her legs were crossed beneath her as if in some sort of yoga pose. It hurt that he felt he needed to ask if he could sit down and she could clearly remember a time when he knew that he was always welcome. Things had changed a lot since Osiris had captured SG-1, including her feelings for those closest to her. Ever since their rescue and return to Earth, she had changed a lot, but it was not all necessarily for the better. Nicola still had nightmares of her torture and every time that her heart beat too fast, she worried that it would stop. She considered it unnatural to know how it feels when your heart stops or when the last breath of air is forced from your lungs. Late at night, Nicola wondered if she were now 'touched' and somehow unnatural, too. Something had changed in her core on that day. It was almost as if the sarcophagus had healed her incorrectly and it had either added or left something out. She had never spoken of this to anyone except for Evan.

Nicola was very aware that her friendship with Daniel had declined to a point where she barely spoke to him. Any words that were exchanged between them were always work related and nothing of a personal matter had been raised, aside from a few instances of angry shouts from her to him. Nicola missed his friendship and it hurt that he was now sitting opposite her and they were in silence.

Without warning or pre-thought Nicola found herself speaking, "I should have done it. I should have used the device." She was by far the least experienced member of SG-1 and therefore the least valuable.

"No, you shouldn't have." It was such a simple answer and Nicola scrutinised his appearance. He did not seem to have any problem with their lack of contact over the months. He had not missed her at all.

"He has Sam and Daniella. That's more than any of us have." His eyes met hers and she began staring down at the floor. She could still feel his eyes on her despite her avoidance tactics.

After a long pause where Nicola had no doubt that Daniel was studying her, he spoke, "Nicola, how have you been?"

"What?" she asked instantly and meeting his eyes for a brief moment.

"I feel like I haven't seen you in ages."

She tried to keep any bitterness or sadness from her reply. "Except for work, it has been."

"I'm sorry... I've been busy."

She wanted to laugh at him, to make her response bitchy and catty. She wanted to tell him to go away and leave her alone, but something prevented her from doing so. "Don't apologise." They both sat in silence as Nicola began analysing in her mind what tone she had spoken in. She moved to hug her knees up to her chest and as she did, Nicola heard him about to speak so she stopped him. He had tried to speak to her once before about things that had happened to her and, as now, it had not been the right time or place to get into it. "Do you think Anubis will figure out where we're heading?" Involuntarily her heart skipped a beat as she said the name. She was not sure for how much longer she could continue working in the SGC and being constantly this nervous.

"I hope not, but Sarah still seems to think that Anubis was hiding some grand plan from her, when she was Osiris." Nicola visibly cringed, but she was unsure whether it was from fear of the ominous 'plan', saying 'Osiris' out loud or the mention of Sarah. Daniel seemed to notice her problem and apologised, "Sorry. How have you been since?"

She wanted to laugh again at his sudden sincerity after all these months, but she could not. Instead she simply and slightly harshly answered, "Fine." She did not care at his point in time if it was blatantly obvious that she was lying.

"I've missed you." Her eyes darted up to his, but he was not looking at her. She wondered if she had heard him correctly, but before she could make any reply the ship dropped out of hyperdrive and Nicola steadied herself on the wall. She glanced over at Daniel and he nodded as he held out a helping hand. She accepted it without hesitation and then followed him into the cockpit of Ronon's ship. Assuming that they had reached their destination, Nicola approached the men circling the pilot's chair. Ronon and Bra'tac each had a chair whilst Teal'c and Colonel O'Neill were standing behind them. Nicola could tell from the looks on their faces that the room had been silent before their deceleration. Glancing back at Daniel, Nicola raised her eyebrows in curiosity with regards to the silence. Nicola leaned over Teal'c's shoulder and looked at his console which showed data from the planet. A grimace crossed her face.

"I'm not sure we're going down there." According to the readings, the entire planet was covered in lava, but Major Carter had a lot more experience of Goa'uld technology to understand the readings. Unfortunately, she was not yet in the cockpit. "There can't be anything down there, can there?" She looked at Daniel for an answer.

"Maybe something survived under the lava." They both turned to O'Neill, waiting for him to tell them all something about why they were here. They had only come to this planet because of O'Neill's increasing Ancient knowledge. Daniel had deciphered that the Stargate's symbols each corresponded to a sound and that this red hot planet before them was Proclarush Taonas - City Lost in Fire. It was the only thing that they had to go on and Nicola hoped, like the others, that there was something buried beneath the lava. Although the idea of travelling down to the planet in any way shape or form troubled her because no human was supposed to be around that much lava.

"I don't know why we're here, let alone what might be under the surface."

"Where are we?" Major Carter asked as she entered the cockpit and looked at the view-screen. She looked slightly dishevelled as if, possibly, she had been caught off guard with the exit from hyperspace. Either that or she had been busy looking at the engines.

"Could there ever have been civilisation on this planet, Major Carter?" Teal'c asked her as he moved out of the way for her to get a better look.

"Possibly, a million years ago or so."

"We're a bit late then?" Daniel asked.

Major Carter stood back up and indicated for Colonel O'Neill to sit down. "You brought us here, Jack. Try looking at it." She noticed everyone looking at her for using such an informal tone with the colonel. "I've relieved him of command before he..." Nicola saw the pain etched on her face at what the rest of that sentence should be. None of the team wanted to think that far ahead. They could not think that far ahead. Even for Nicola who had only been a member of SG-1 for a short duration, she could not cope with the idea of one of them being lost. Before she had started trying to be friendly with the team, Nicola had chosen to go against General Hammond's orders and go to rescue Carter. It was what SG-1 did for each other and she understood that now.

"There. Taonas."

Carter moved to another console and scanned the area at which O'Neill had pointed on the holo-screen. "There's a cavern there, a bubble of molten rock." Nicola peered at the small site and hoped that what the major was reading was correct because she knew that if it were viable, they would all be heading down to the cavern.

"Maybe a force-field left behind by the Ancients," Nicola volunteered.

"That's why we have the Haz Mat suits," Daniel smiled.

"Let's go check it out." Carter's voice was filled with excitement at the prospect of saving O'Neill. Daniel, Teal'c and Nicola followed the pair without hesitation, leaving Bra'tac and Ronon in charge of the ship.

SG – SG – SG

Daniel studied his friend who was crouched on the floor. It was an understatement that everyone was in a state of shock at what had just happened. The planet around which their ship was orbiting was, in fact, not the location of the Lost City, but it had revealed through Jack the location back on Earth and given them a power source with which they would be able to use any Ancient technology within the site. Jack looked shocked and his attention was still on Bra'tac. SG-1 had all returned from their mission to the protected cavern to find Ronon dead and Bra'tac fatally wounded until Jack had placed his hands on the Jaffa master. Jack had healed him and no one could believe it. Daniel risked a glance at Sam who clearly had tears in her eyes. His condition had never got this far last time and none of them had any certainty that they would be able to locate the Asgard before it was too late. As Daniel had watched his friend heal Bra'tac, it had hit him that they might not get to the Asgard in time, they might not make it back to Earth in time to locate the Lost City and use it. If Jack's condition progressed too far, his brain might collapse before he could show them how to gain access to the City or how to use any of the technology there.

"Teal'c," said Sam and everyone turned to look at her except the dumbfounded Jack. "Set a course for Earth." Teal'c nodded and they all knew that it had to be done quickly. "I'll head to the engine room and see if we can get any extra power from them. I'll be damned if we came this far for..." Daniel knew that she wanted to say 'nothing', that they had all sacrificed Jack's life for nothing. None of them were willing to allow his life to be in vain, least of all Sam. Jack made no move to stand as Teal'c stepped towards the pilot's chair and Sam headed towards the engine room. Daniel went to help Jack up, but both men paused when Sam suddenly turned around. "Wait!"

Everyone turned to her now instead, the confusion over Jack's acts now replaced with confusion over Sam's sudden stop.

"What is the matter, Major Carter?" Teal'c asked from his position at the helm.

"Where are we?"

"What?" Daniel questioned her. "Did you hit your head?" He still held Jack's elbow to steady him, but he took a step towards Sam.

"Trust me, I don't have long." Sam moved closer towards them all and looked all around her as if trying to figure out where she was. "You have a spy amongst you. Now, where are you?"

"Ronon's dead, Major, are you okay?" Carpenter stepped towards her and Sam flinched away before looking at everyone.

Relief seemed to wash over Sam's face as her shoulders relaxed slightly. "I'm not me."

Everyone looked at her in utter confusion, but it was Jack who stepped towards her. Gently he placed a hand on her cheek and tears welled in his eyes. He had already lost the ability to speak in English with only a few simple words remaining. "No."

Sam nodded at her partner and a tear escaped her eye, sliding quietly down her left cheek. "Jack, I'm so sorry." With difficulty, Sam turned her face away from him to look at the others. Jack did not move his hand nor did Sam move the hand that she was covering his with. "I don't have long before she's back."

"Who?" Daniel asked. He had seen a lot in his years on SG-1 so he tended to believe someone when they seemed to be talking nonsense. It did not make him any less confused.

"Let me explain. I'm not me. You never rescued me from Osiris and Anubis. Anubis did allow you all to escape, because it was with a clone of me." She did not pause in her explanation to allow anyone to say anything. "He's at Earth already. He knows the Lost City's there. He knows everything that I, Sam, you know up until they last communicated."

"When was that?" Carpenter asked. Apparently everyone was buying her story completely.

"When I was last in the engine room. Just after Jack left and I was alone. She may have tampered with them, I may have. You know what I mean." Confusion crossed her face again. "Look, just don't let her, me, out of your sight. Feed her wrong information just in case I fail and Anubis can switch the device back to communicate with her. I'm going to try and destroy the communications device and then escape. I'll need help though."

"Where are you?"

"On Anubis' ship, orbiting Earth. You guys need to hurry and get back there."

"We'll send an F302 to try and meet you in the glider bay."

"Thanks," Sam smiled. "Oh, don't let anything happen to the clone. If one of us dies, so does the other. At least that's what Anubis told me."

That was when it suddenly dawned on Daniel: It had been months since 'Sam' had been rescued from the clutches of Osiris. "So all this time… All these months." He looked from Sam to Jack and saw the sadness in both of them. Sam had tears in her eyes and Jack clearly understood despite his language barrier. Daniel could not help but watch the two of them. Sam turned to Jack and their hands entwined.

"I know what's been happening." She was talking to Jack, but he could not respond.

"Do you know about Janet?"

Sam nodded and a slight sob escaped her. "After my clone would speak with Anubis, he'd fill me in. It was partially to find out from me how she should respond and partly to torture me with the life I was no longer in control of." She turned to Daniel. "Keep me away from Daniella, no matter what. Promise me, Daniel?" He nodded. "And don't let her be alone. It's when she's alone that she communicates with him. In case I fail at my end, she cannot be allowed to communicate with Anubis."

"Don't worry," Carpenter promised. "We'll take care of everything."

Sam nodded her thanks at the lieutenant who had made great strides in a friendship with a clone. "I just wish that I could have escaped sooner when Jack could still talk. Jack…" He cupped her face with both of his hands and nodded at her. She smiled as she looked him in the eye seemingly able to communicate with them. "I love you, too." Daniel glanced down at the floor as he did not want to witness such a moment of intimacy between a man who's brain was being re-written and a woman he thought he had been in a relationship with for months.

"Sam," Daniel finally intervened. "I think you should know that Jack healed Bra'tac."

"Healed him, how?" She looked rapidly between Daniel and Jack, trying to understand what it was that she was being told.

"He has the healing power of the Ancients," Teal'c provided.

Shock registered on Sam's face. "That means this time it's more advanced." Daniel nodded and Sam took a deep breath. She then turned to her team. "You have to make her believe that she hit her head, okay? Don't let her get suspicious or she'll try and form a communication. If she can't and she panics, well if we are linked and she tries to harm herself…"

"We'll lie to you, don't worry." It was his attempt at humour and to lighten the mood, but Daniel was unsure that anything could achieve that at this point. "We'll send someone to find you. Glider bay."

Sam nodded and turned her back on her team. Before Daniel could make any move towards her, Jack shoved her hard on her back and she fell to the floor. Everyone else scattered slightly and as Sam began to stand up confusion was written on her face. Daniel tried to not look at her for fear that he would give away his suspicions. "Teal'c, what was that?" she demanded.

Teal'c made his way to the console and lied through his teeth. "Atmospheric conditions are worsening. I believe the shield has failed and the flow of the lava has altered. We must leave orbit now."

"Good, set a course for Earth," Sam ordered as she rubbed a rapidly forming bump on her forehead.

SG-SG-SG

 **So, did anyone see that coming? If anyone had been wondering why there had been no Sam POV in this or in More Than You, it was because it wasn't Sam! Jack's entire romantic relationship with Sam was not with her! Am I evil?**


	5. Chapter 5

**The first glimpse into Sam's POV in over a whole story in this saga! Why? Because I turned her into an evil clone! Haha!**

She opened her eyes and was unsure if the sight before her was good or not. It was a sight to which she had become incredibly accustomed over the past few months as it was all that she had seen. Quickly glancing around her, Sam checked that she was still alone in the Goa'uld room. She did not know what to call it because in one corner there was a cell – her cell – and in the rest of the room there was equipment and consoles, one of which she found herself still standing at. On so many occasions she had been on the opposite end to this action, when Anubis' Jaffa would force her from her cell and she would stand on the other side of the console. Anubis would then command the Jaffa at the console to initiate the link and Sam's mind would vanish. She had no idea where she went, but she never remembered anything. At some point later, she would suddenly find herself looking at the familiar sight of the Jaffa and console. The only way she knew that something had transpired was the slight dizzy and disorientated feeling that coursed through her. Until she was safely locked up again and Anubis would reveal elements of her real life to her. He used it to torture her and to keep her in line should she try to escape.

When Sam had first awoke in the cell, confusion had filled her. She had watched as Osiris forced his way in through the neck of the faced down victim. Part of her had been horrified at what she saw, but part of her wanted to thank Anubis and his Jaffa for rescuing her. Before the thought of questioning why they had rescued her hit her, Sam had watched the new host of Osiris stand and turn to face them all. Sam had tried to fall to her knees in shock at seeing someone who looked incredibly like her standing there with her eyes glowing and a malicious grin upon her face. It was later on that two Jaffa had held her up and forced her to watch as Anubis himself approached Osiris – her – and raised his hand to the forehead. She had been forced to watch as Anubis murdered the Goa'uld and let Sam's clone's body drop to the floor. Sam had then blacked out.

Sam had awoken within a Goa'uld cell which quickly became her new home. Nothing happened for a few days except Jaffa bringing her food without saying a word. She had begun to wonder if what she had seen had been real. How could there be a clone of her? Why would there be a clone of her? Why had Anubis murdered Osiris without provocation? Had any of it happened? On her fifth day there Anubis had entered the room and explained simply that she was his prisoner and that her team were never coming to rescue her. She had yelled at him as he left the room that they would, she could guarantee it. With a wave of his hand a console in front of her flickered to life and Sam watched as a screen on the console showed her Jack and Daniel entering a room. It was the room in which she last remembered being before being in a cell. She had watched silently as Daniel had found a body on the floor and called Jack over. Daniel had then picked her up from the floor and carried her away with Jack protecting them. When the playback ended, the console became black again. Sam had broken down in tears with the realisation that her team would not be coming for her and she was stuck here, and that they had taken an imposter and spy home with them.

The day after, with all of her hope on her team gone, Sam had attempted to escape and she had managed to get of out the cell before the Jaffa arrived. It soon became apparent that she would need the ship and Anubis to be incredibly preoccupied before trying another attempt, but then Anubis had come to see her. He had told her that she and the clone were linked and that if one were to die so would the other. He had made sure of that in the genetic coding when he had created the Sam Clone. She had no idea whether or not to believe him, but she assumed that she had a lot to lose if he were telling the truth. She did not try and escape again, but she kept her eyes and ears open all the time. She watched the Jaffa operate the console and she learnt what she needed to do when the time came. All that she had to do was wait for Anubis to be suitably distracted and she would make another attempt. Even if all that it did was warn SG-1 to their duplicitous member, Sam had not cared if her capture led to her death. She could not bear the thought of Sam Clone at home, alone with Daniella, beginning a relationship with Jack and passing on all of her information to Anubis. When he was feeling incredibly evil, Anubis played the videos of his conversations with Sam Clone on the console to Sam over and over.

She had been forced to watch as Sam Clone gleefully passed on classified information about Stargate Command protocols, or without emotion mentioned in passing that Janet Fraiser had been killed whilst on a mission, or intimate details about her fledging romance with Jack. Whenever the news became too much Sam would scream to try and block out the voices of her clone and Anubis coming from the console. She knew everything that was happening in the life that should be hers, but that she was not living. She mourned Janet and she missed Daniella. She despised her clone from lying to everyone she cared so deeply about, but all she could do was watch and wait, to bide her time until she could try and communicate with her family.

That day had come when Anubis learnt through her clone that SG-1 were in search of the Lost City and that Jack had once more allowed the repository of Ancient knowledge to be downloaded into his brain. As soon as she overheard that they were almost at Earth, Sam had started to act. She had broken out of the cell relatively easily after years of being trapped within similar, and had moved straight to the console where the Jaffa always stood. Figuring out the controls quickly, she had put them into a reverse pattern almost to allow her to move into the clone's body and communicate with her team. If Anubis caught her now Sam did not care if she died, as long as her team knew and they had a heads up concerning Earth and Anubis' attack. Now back in her body after warning her team, Sam used the console to try and prevent any future communication between herself and the clone. She knew that it may be simpler to destroy the console, but Sam wondered if there were any way to destroy the clone hidden within it. She could not destroy it just in case the chance existed.

Moving away from the console and towards the door, Sam kept her guard up as she began quickly but carefully moving towards the glider bay. A quick check at the console had informed her of the general layout of the ship and the location of the glider bay along with the location of the ship. Anubis was in orbit around Earth and gliders had already been dispatched. All that Sam had to do now was avoid all Jaffa on a Goa'uld vessel and hope that once in a glider no one on either side shot her to hell.

And she had to do all of that without a weapon.

SG – SG – SG

The _Prometheus_ approached the singular Goa'uld ship facing off against the entirety of Anubis' fleet and General George Hammond could only listen to what his crew were shouting at him. The F-302s had already been launched and were fighting back the enemy. Despite how the Stargate program had technically been shut down with all 'gate travel having been suspended, President Hayes had ordered an evacuation to the alpha site. George had delayed the launch of the _Prometheus_ by a few minutes so that he could ensure a quick word with the president. He had requested that Daniella be a member of the evacuation team and that Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter had not done everything in which they had over the past seven years to fail at the last hurdle and know that their child was in danger. President Hayes had not attempted to argue and had, in fact, agreed instantly and that Cassie Fraiser was also on the list. He was going to speak to Sasha, the nanny of both girls, directly and inform her of the entire project. George had met the young lady quite a few times due to her closeness with Daniella, Sam and Jack and he was sure that she could handle the news with minimum shock. Sasha had coped with an amazing grace since entering their lives and she never once questioned their long hours or lengthy disappearances. George had overseen her original security clearance and then checked the intermittent reports regarding her actions. Despite what she had probably now been told concerning the universe as a whole, George doubted that Sasha would ever be informed of how closely she had been watched as part of her job.

"Defend that scout ship at all costs!" he ordered to his crew, ignoring the fact that they had already been aware of that and were on the defensive. "Can you hail them?" There was a nod from the communications officer. "SG-1, this is Hammond, do you read?"

"Yes, sir," Lieutenant Carpenter replied. "Thank you for showing up, sir."

"No problem. The F-302s are deployed and have been ordered to cover you." It occurred to him that he should maybe speak to the commanding officer of the team, however, it was all together likely that Colonel O'Neill was already incapacitated and that Major Carter was with him.

"About that, sir, we need you to send an F-302 to Anubis' lead vessel."

"Please repeat, Lieutenant." It was an order for her to explain why they needed more than just a defence.

"We encountered a slight problem, sir." Of course they had, George thought to himself, they were SG-1 and they always encountered problems. "We have it on very good authority that the Major Carter on this ship with us is, in fact, not the original Major Carter, and that she is a clone spy. The real Major Carter is aboard Anubis' vessel and trying to make it to the glider bay."

"What?" George demanded.

"Needless to say, sir, it's very complicated, but she's alone over there and has been in captivity ever since Osiris took her as a host."

He did not need to question her any further and he nodded at his communication officer who immediately started relaying the alteration in orders to the F-302 pilots. "I'm sending one with the minimal of back-up to retrieve Major Carter, the rest I'm leaving protecting you and SG-1." No matter what he felt for SG-1, for Major Carter herself, the planet still came first.

"Understood, sir. We're going to ring down, leaving this Major Carter here with Bra'tac. In case something happens to the four of us, sir. This Major Carter cannot be harmed, but she also cannot be trusted or left alone."

He nodded more to himself because he knew that the line of communication had been cut. SG-1 would now be heading down towards Antarctica and all that he could do was watch and hope that the F-302s kept them safe along with safely retrieving Major Carter. He had no idea what Lieutenant Carpenter fully meant, but he knew it would be explained eventually when this was all over. Until then, he tried to put it to the back of his mind and remain focused on the mission. He could not dismiss a question which kept tugging at the back of his mind no matter how much he tried to concentrate, however - Had Major Carter really been a clone the past six months?

SG – SG – SG

Nicola turned away from the main console and nodded at Teal'c who immediately left his chair, leaving Bra'tac the only person at the helm. She followed the Jaffa back into the larger room of the ship, situated immediately behind the helm position. Already in there were Colonel O'Neill who was fading fast, Daniel and the cloned Major Carter. Daniel, Teal'c and she had already discussed how the mission was going to go down, including her conversation with General Hammond concerning rescuing the real Major Carter. Nicola really could not believe that the woman with whom she had been slowly building a friendship was not in fact Major Carter. They had not discussed it much because of their close proximity and Daniel had not wanted to leave Colonel O'Neill alone with the clone for too long. None of them wanted to raise the clone's suspicions until they had the real Major back in their possession.

"Okay, the General says we're all set to go." She picked up her gun and scanned around at everyone, waiting for the next step in their mission. Like a flash, Colonel O'Neill moved quicker than he seemed able to given his mental challenges and punched the fake Major square on the jaw and she crumpled to the floor in an instant. "Looks like we're ready." The colonel looked at her and despite his inability to speak English any more, she clearly understood the sarcasm in his eyes. As a team the four of them stepped onto the ring platform and Bra'tac activated them from his chair. Time to save the planet, Nicola thought as a gust of freezing air chilled through her.


	6. Chapter 6

**And now my first time writing for Mitchell!**

He peered around the corner, his side-arm raised. It was the only weapon that he had on him, but he wished he had something more powerful. Then again, he also wished that his glider had a lock on its door. Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Mitchell had never been aboard a Goa'uld vessel before, in fact it had been only minutes earlier that he had seen a Goa'uld vessel. General Hammond had sent the order through just prior to Mitchell's squadron's planned take-off, that he needed to redirect to the Al'kesh and retrieve Major Carter. Mitchell had not argued, instead turning to Banks, his co-pilot, and sending him a sympathetic, regretful look. Banks, in turn, shrugged as if to say that it was simply how the cookie crumbled. Then, Mitchell had double-checked the schematics and made the journey to the glider bay. Thankfully for him, all the Goa'uld death gliders were already dispatched for the raging battle. Unfortunately, that was not a good thing for the other F-302s or SG-1. Anubis and his fleet were over Antarctica trying to stop SG-1 from finding the Ancient weapon which the team believed lay just beneath the surface. The other F-302s were all trying to help SG-1 and keep the Goa'uld gliders at bay, whilst Mitchell had been sent to Major Carter who had somehow ended up aboard Anubis' lead vessel.

He had asked no questions as to how that had come about, instead Mitchell had begun his mission which was how he now found himself walking the corridors of an alien vessel with only a side-arm. An enemy alien vessel that was no simple vessel - it was a space-ship capable of interstellar travel. They were not exactly easy to navigate and whilst Mitchell did have a radio it was too dangerous to try and contact the _Prometheus_ and get directions. This new aspect of the world was so completely alien to him that Mitchell was not even willing to attempt to use a computer console. He could not even read Goa'uld. Mitchell felt incredibly out of his depth.

Rounding another corner Mitchell paused, holding his breath. Standing not more than a few feet away from him were what Mitchell could only assume were aliens. Jaffa, he had been told were their race and that technically they were an enslaved race following the orders of their Goa'uld master. Was he supposed to be able to know if the two standing in front of him were the enemy? In any normal military situation, Mitchell would see everyone as the enemy, he never had the fate of the planet staring him in the face before. That and he was the only hope for Major Carter, vital member of SG-1.

"Tau'ri!" a voice boomed from behind him and Mitchell straightened up, watching as the two Jaffa in front of him turned toward him, their long pole-shaped weapons pointing at him. He had no idea what the Jaffa behind him had said, but he was aware that he was now surrounded. Slowly, Mitchell turned to the Jaffa who had called, alerting the others to his presence aboard the ship. There was nothing that screamed 'alien' other than the golden emblem on his forehead and the heavy over-use of chain mail.

"Yeah, hi. I think I lost my tour group..." Mitchell swung his head around as if lost when he was actually trying to see if there were any route for escape. He had the inescapable fear that he was trapped and about to be killed until he heard weapons fire from behind him. Without pausing to glance or think, Mitchell fired on the Jaffa standing in front of him. The alien slumped against the wall and fell to the floor. With his gun still ready, Mitchell turned towards the other two Jaffa and quickly realised that they were both on the floor and just behind where they had stood was a female. She was wearing a white linen shirt and trousers, but did not look like the male Jaffa. "I take it you're Major Carter?"

She nodded. "I take it you're my rescue?" He nodded in reply. "Where's your fighter, Colonel?"

"Some funky hangar just back this way." She passed him a small weapon and he gladly took it from her. "What is this?"

"A Zat gun. Here," she took her own Zat and quickly showed him how to use it. He instantly picked up how to use it and followed the Major back to the hangar bay. Normally he would expect a Major to speak to him in a slightly different manner, with a bit more respect and less haste, but he did not have enough information regarding the situation. "How's the fight going?"

"Last I heard," he answered, "SG-1 were heading down to the Ancient location. I was sent to get you. Told that I didn't have much time."

She nodded. "Better get moving then. The sooner I get off this damn ship the better."

"Forgive me, Major," he questioned fully aware of his deference to her. "How long have you been on here?" Her blonde hair was long and shaggy, not what he was used to from a military officer. There was a paleness to her skin which he had only ever seen from prisoners who had not seen the light of day in quite a while. Whilst he was new the whole alien's exist thing, he still questioned her tone with him as an Air Force Officer. They paused at the large door to the Goa'uld glider bay, both of them scanning the area just inside for Jaffa.

"Almost six months." He looked at her quizzically. Mitchell was up to speed on the current mission and he had been under the impression that Major Carter was on it and down in Antarctica. "It's a long story and I really just want to get out of here and home. Can you get me home, Colonel?"

The coast was clear and they nodded at each other, informing the other that it was safe to approach the F-302. "I'll get you home, Major." It was a promise that he fully intended to keep.

SG – SG – SG

"Sir, the F-302s have exhausted all their supplies," Davis called to the general.

"Divert them to McMurdo. We can't drop the shields to let them back aboard."

"The shields are fading, sir," Gant called from his position. "We need to charge them."

"No time. Hold your positions." General Hammond sat in the command chair, his hands gripping tightly to the arms. He had received no communication from SG-1 or Bra'tac since before they headed down to Antarctica. There had also been no communication from the Lieutenant Colonel he had sent after Major Carter. He had been absent from Stargate Command for little over a few days and already Colonel O'Neill's brain had been re-written and was probably shutting down whilst Major Carter was in enemy hands and neither might make it home to their child. He knew that the overall goal was for SG-1 or a lucky _Prometheus_ to destroy Anubis' fleet, but on the other hand if that happened before Mitchell was able to rescue Carter, Daniella really would be orphaned. Hammond still found it incredibly difficult to believe that the Major Carter he had interacted with over the past six months had in fact been a clone. He was still trying to keep the thoughts from his mind, instead focussing on the battle.

"Incoming sir, I have Colonel Mitchell."

"Go ahead." Hammond felt relief wash over him. Maybe something was about to go right.

"Sir, I have Major Carter and we're in the F-302. We're about to depart. Any cover fire you can provide, sir?"

"Negative, son, but we'll try and keep their attention. Take your bird to McMurdo and contact the SGC immediately. Major?"

"Yes, sir?" Her voice sounded no different to the Samantha Carter he had spoken with just a day ago.

"Glad you're safe."

"Me too, sir, me too."

SG – SG – SG

Daniel watched helplessly as his rapidly slipping away friend sat down on the Ancient chair. His hands moved to the gelatinous pads on the arm-rest and a bright light illuminated him. Nicola and Teal'c were behind him shooting at the two Super-Soldiers who had arrived by the ring device moments earlier after Anubis' hologram had disappeared. Suddenly there was a large crashing noise and Daniel took his eyes from Jack. He turned and saw the ground in between the ring device and them fall away. Nicola and Teal'c each took a step backwards to ensure they were not about to fall down into the bowels of the earth. A brighter yellow light shone from below. Daniel soon realised the light actually consisted of many small yellow transparent squid-like creatures. They swarmed around the Super-Soldier and within an instant he vanished, the transparent creatures continued up through the shaft left by the ring device.

"What was that?" Nicola whispered, the underground area now suddenly so silent they could hear a pin drop. Daniel could not even hear the battle above their heads.

"O'Neill!" Daniel turned to the Ancient chair and his friend at the sound of Teal'c's worried exclamation. Jack's eyes had closed and his head lolled to one side, unconsciousness finally claiming him.

SG – SG – SG

Sam ran across the snow as fast as was humanly possible and trying not to slip or fall too deep into the snow. She had been in the F-302 when a message had come over the radio from Daniel. He was directing them toward Bra'tac's Al'kesh which was now sitting on the snow miles above the Ancient outpost. From there Sam was going to ring down to the outpost and to Jack. Over the radio, Daniel had informed them that Jack was fading fast. She really could not believe that after months of captivity and an imposter living with the man she loved, she was finally home and he was disappearing. The message had been short, but clear and Sam had to hope against everything that Jack would still be conscious when she got there. Lieutenant Colonel Mitchell had clarified his orders with General Hammond who had ordered him to _'get Carter to Colonel O'Neill come Hell or high water.'_ As soon as the F-302 had landed, Sam had bolted from her seat and ran towards the Al'kesh.

She ran full pelt into the Al'kesh and saw Master Bra'tac standing by the ring device waiting for her. Slumped on the floor was her clone and despite the urgency of the situation, Sam paused to stare at her twin. Months had passed with that _thing_ posing as her, setting up home with Jack and being a mother to Daniella. It all made Sam want to kill it in its sleep. Not only did Sam not have the time, but she had no idea if Anubis had created a link which would cause them both to perish if it happened to one.

"It is good to see you, Major Carter." Bra'tac smiled at her and Sam could not help the tears that involuntarily welled up. Aside from the few moments when she had managed to use her clone to communicate with SG-1, this was the first time that she had really seen a friendly face in a very long time. He passed her cold weather clothing that she knew instantly had been brought on the mission for the other Major Carter to wear.

"You, too." She stepped onto the ring device and watched as the world dissolved around her to be replaced by the icy surrounds. A chill ran through her, but Sam ignored it as her eyes located her team. The past few months had been hell, watching descriptions of the life the other her was living and fearing how it could be seen as a betrayal. Ever since Osiris had captured her and used her as a host Sam had felt like a traitor to her entire planet and to her team. SG-1 were her family and she had missed them more than life itself. One by one Daniel, Teal'c and Lieutenant Carpenter smiled at her, welcoming her home. Relief flooded her at their immediate acceptance.

"Daniel, where is he?" He moved to the side and Sam saw Jack standing in a hole in the wall, an icy sheen over him. He was motionless, his face expressionless. "Is he…?" She could not bring herself to finish the question.

"Dead?" he finished for her. "No, we don't think so. It seems to be some sort of stasis unit. After he activated the weapon, Jack said good-bye and then it froze around him."

"He's gone," she whispered. All of the pent up tears came flooding out. During her imprisonment Sam had felt the overwhelming urge to cry most days, but she always tried to keep them inside. The simple thought of returning to Jack and their daughter was the only thing that had sustained her. The desire to live the life her clone had stepped into and created was the life that Sam wanted so badly and now the chance was gone. Jack was gone. She stroked the icy covering above his face and imagined that he could feel her warm hand on his cheek. "Bye." She wiped at her eyes, sniffing away the last remaining tears and then turned back to her family. "This can't be it," she demanded. "There has to be something here that can reverse this. We haven't all been through all of this for it be over. This can't be how it ends."

"This clearly isn't the city of Atlantis, Sam. I'm sorry," Daniel apologised. "I think it's still out there."

Sam shook her head in disbelief as she crumpled to the icy floor, sitting on a step in front of Jack's icy storage box. She was vaguely aware of Teal'c asking the question that they all desperately needed the answer to: Where was the lost city of Atlantis?


	7. Chapter 7

**We're into New Order now, and Sam might get to speak to Jack properly for the first time in, huh, months!**

Doctor Elizabeth Weir looked up at the nervous sounding knock on her office door and saw Major Samantha Carter standing there. It was the real Major as apparently the one she had met on her first few days as commander of the SGC had in fact been a clone sent to infiltrate the team on Anubis' orders. The major seemed hesitant to enter and Elizabeth had a hunch as to why.

"Come on in, Major. How can I help you?"

Carter took a small step into the room. "Firstly, I wanted to offer my thanks for your guidance of the evacuation to the alpha site. Sasha says you also offered her some words of advice."

Smiling, Elizabeth answered, "For a civilian she handled the news from Major Davis reasonably well, but she was clearly nervous. I thought that as a fellow civilian, my words might comfort her more. I'm glad that your daughter got home safely." For security precautions, Elizabeth had ordered the real Major Carter to remain on base until all possible testing could be carried out. She had read all of the mission reports concerning Naquadah bombs in the heart or teeth and was not about to make any mistakes. Carter had been given the all clear and allowed to return home to her daughter, newly fostered daughter, Cassie and the live-in nanny, Sasha. Less than a day later, Carter had been back in the SGC demanding that Elizabeth do everything possible to help Colonel O'Neill. She could only imagine what Carter was going through and how eager she would be to have her family unit back together as much as was still possible.

"Thank you. Anyway, I came to see you to request again concerning Colonel O'Neill."

"Major, I made my position quite clear."

"I know, but there has to be a way to get a message to the Asgard. Colonel O'Neill has done so much, given so much for this planet and we need to do this one thing for him."

"Not for you then?" Elizabeth did not mean to antagonise the Major, but she also could not budge from her position. All 'gate travel was off limits and the altered Al'kesh was the most advanced piece of technology they had, especially now that the Ancient weapon seemed to be all out of its ammunition.

"Do you know how much of my own life I missed out on? I have a foster-daughter now. When I left on that mission, running after Jack, I had a daughter, a best friend and a girl I considered like a daughter. I come back and my best friend's dead, Jack and I have custody of her daughter and the man I love has had his brain re-written like a computer hard drive being wiped. He's spent the past few months happily forming a relationship with a woman he thought was me." She paused and Elizabeth allowed her to. "I've spent years keeping Jack at bay. Even after Daniella came along, our jobs and our careers meant more than us being happy. We both sacrificed everything for this job, for this planet. My best-friend gave her life for this job and I just lost six months of my life, of my daughter's life in a Goa'uld prison cell standing there and listening to how some imposter was raising my child and loving the man I had always kept at bay. He just learnt that the mother of his child, who he left alone with his daughter and who he embarked on a relationship with was an agent of Anubis. After everything he's done, you and the rest of the military are happy to just sit back? Really?"

"What exactly do you have in mind?" She had to be willing to give these people a chance.

"SG-1 can take the modified Al'kesh, the cargo ship, and use the co-ordinates from _Prometheus_ and it should take just over a week to get to Othalla. We'll contact the Asgard and they can heal Jack, like they did before."

"I have two issues with that, Major. One: Daniel is too important at the moment. We need him to remain here, working on the translations. We still need to find Atlantis."

"Okay."

"Two: You have to remain here, too." Carter began to interrupt her, but Elizabeth silenced her with a wave of her hand. "It's non-negotiable. I'll allow Teal'c and Lieutenant Carpenter to try and contact the Asgard, but you are to remain here."

"Do you still not trust me?"

"Not a question of trust, Major." Elizabeth shuffled some papers in front of her, knowing that she had a phone call to make to ensure the mission could go ahead. "The truth is that, yes, there might be a trick up your sleeve and I'm sure my bosses would not want that risk out there. However, I am refusing your request on the grounds that you have just been a prisoner of war for six months and you are more than likely suffering from post-traumatic stress."

"Doctor Weir, I'm fit and able for work."

Elizabeth shook her head. "You just near broke down and cried in my office and what you said is correct. You've returned home, Major, after a stranger was allowed free reign in your house, to raise your daughter, do your job and date your partner. Sam," she changed to her first name, "go home, be with your daughters, mourn your friend and rest. Trust your team to bring Colonel O'Neill home to you. Is that clear?"

Carter nodded and half turned toward the door. "Thank you." With that, Carter left the room and Elizabeth wondered how her reign as boss could possibly get any worse. She really did not feel capable to this job.

SG – SG – SG

It still felt oddly comfortable, familiar, strange and unusual all combined when Sam entered her house. She tried to think of it as her home, but it was not easy. There were differences some subtle, like the new shoe rack by the front door and the types of shoes on them. There were new photo frames decorating the den and even some in the kitchen. The door of the refrigerator was covered in new drawings made by Daniella, ones that Sam had never seen before. After taking off her shoes, Sam made her way straight into the kitchen to get a drink. For six months she had only been given the barest of rations – water and a stodgy-stew that tasted like cardboard. She could not get enough of milk at the moment.

Closing the refrigerator door, Sam looked at the most recent drawing done by Daniella. It was of a house and there were five squiggles, each one with Cassie's handwriting next to it. The drawing showed Daniella's family – her father and mother, Cassie, Sasha and Daniella. Sam was not sure how Jack had been coping with a grief-stricken teenager and living in a house full of women. She was not sure how to cope with a grief-stricken teenager. How had the other Sam dealt with Cassie?

"Hey." Sam turned and saw Cassie sitting at the table just behind her.

"Hi, sorry I didn't see you there."

"That's okay. I guess a lot's changed." Cassie nodded her head towards the drawings. "I mean, I didn't live here when you were last here." There was a vulnerability in the teenager's voice and Sam could not quite place what it meant.

"I used to have my own bedroom, yeah."

"You can have it back, if you want it."

Sam looked up and met Cassie's watery, fearful eyes. Had Cassie been doubting that she was still welcome? "Cassie, honey, I love you like you're my own and this is your home. You can't doubt me on that, do you?"

"No." Cassie shook her head uncertainly. "It's just that everything changed after you were… replaced."

"Replaced." Sam laughed. "I like that word. Things haven't been easy for you, Cassie." She walked over to the table and put her hand over Cassie's, leaning over the table. "And I can't promise that they're going to be easy now. We have to hope that Jack comes home and then we'll… take things from there."

"He loves you."

Sam looked away, retracting her hands. "But he's been in a relationship with her."

"That doesn't matter. He's always loved you." Both women sat there in silence for a long moment before Cassie spoke again. "Do you love him?"

Without hesitation Sam replied, "More than life itself."

SG – SG – SG

Teal'c followed closely behind Lieutenant Carpenter, watching the corridor for any sign of the replicators. Thankfully, soon after they had dropped out of hyperspace Thor had arrived and saved them from being sucked into the black hole that was Hala's sun. Teal'c had immediately apprised the Asgard commander of the situation back on Earth with the frozen Colonel O'Neill and clone of Major Carter. Thor had promised his aid as soon as he was satisfied that the replicators were completely destroyed. Things seemed to be getting worse, as they normally did for SG-1, and the replicators had not only managed to adhere together to form some sort of ship, they had then attacked the Asgard vessel and they may have boarded. Hence why Teal'c and Carpenter were examining the damaged areas, listening out for any local replicator movement. Both SG-1 members were well aware that Thor was the only solution to regaining O'Neill's mind and, for Teal'c, he would stop at nothing to ensure that Thor saved O'Neill. Thor also had knowledge of cloning which had been used for his race over thousands of years to keep them alive. It was this knowledge that would be needed to sever any link that possibly existed between Major Carter and her clone. Despite the fact that the clone was now imprisoned in the SGC and Anubis and his ship had been destroyed, there was always a risk that further links could be made to either the clone or the real Major Carter.

Focussing on a noise behind him, Teal'c paused in his steps and sensed that Carpenter copied his actions. It had only been a second of replicator _skittering_ and there was no any other signs of life near them. He could still not believe that the Major Carter he had been working with for the past six months was not actually Major Carter. She had, in fact, been a spy delivering all of their secrets back to Anubis himself. For the entire romantic relationship between O'Neill and Carter it had not been Carter and now, just as she returned to her family, O'Neill was no longer present. Teal'c felt he owed it to his friends for not having noticed any differences in Carter to do his utmost at bringing O'Neill back to life.

"I am not sure there are any replicators. Shall we proceed to the next section?"

"Yeah," Carpenter replied, "if we-"

Teal'c turned as Carpenter's sentence ended abruptly. He saw a blinding light where she had been and his eyes narrowed at the sight. "Thor, it is Teal'c. Lieutenant Carpenter has been beamed away. Was it your doing?"

"It was not I." There was a pause before Thor continued, "The replicator ship has just entered hyperspace. She must be on board."

Teal'c looked upward as he began moving back to the bridge. "Can you follow?"

"Yes," Thor answered and Teal'c felt the change in speed as they entered hyperspace.

SG – SG – SG

Daniel was feeling a mixture of frustration and glee. He entered the briefing room and turned to the System Lords sitting at the table. Their demeanours had not altered since they had arrived, neither had their position, which was what was frustrating Daniel so much. He knew the System Lords to be bluffing in their threats of attacking Earth or sending Ba'al to test the Ancient weapon. Luckily the Asgard had just arrived and contacted the _Prometheus_. If that did not sway the System Lords, then maybe the news Daniel had just received would. Smiling at the three of them, Daniel said, "That ship you guys sent here to 'test' our weapon – Ba'al destroyed it. He's taking control. He's taking Anubis' place as leader of all of you. Soon, you'll all be bowing to him."

"As you will, too!" Lord Yu spat, but Daniel did not hear anything else that anyone in the briefing room as an Asgard beam enveloped him. He soon found himself on the bridge of an Asgard vessel, face to face with Teal'c and Thor.

Daniel smiled at them. "Hey guys, I like your timing." He looked around them. "Where's Nicola?"

"The replicators have evolved further," Thor explained. "We believe they took the lieutenant."

"Well then we have to go and find her."

"Thor believes that Colonel O'Neill is the best option that we have to finally destroy the replicators once and for all."

"But he's-" Daniel paused as a beam of light blinded him. Jack appeared in a stasis chamber on Daniel's left. "Okay, then. We also need help with Sam." Another blinding light revealed two Major Carters – one standing freely near to Jack's stasis chamber, the other within a force-field on the right had side of the room.

"Daniel," Sam said in shock at her sudden displacement. "Teal'c , Thor! Where are we?"

"Aboard the _Daniel Jackson_ above Earth," Teal'c explained.

"Wait, _Daniel Jackson_?" Daniel smiled with pride at the honour upon which the Asgard had placed him.

"That is correct, Daniel," Thor replied as he moved to a computer console and began moving around the stones. "I am going to link O'Neill's mind with the ship's computer and obtain any information we can to destroy the replicators."

"Is that safe?" Sam queried, stepping forward and taking her attention from Jack's stasis chamber. "Will Jack be okay?"

"I will endeavour to heal and revive him, but the information within his mind is of great importance."

Daniel watched the emotions playing on Sam's face. He wanted to object, to tell Thor that he had no right to risk Jack's life without his permission, but Sam was the closest thing that they had to a next of kin. He was also pretty sure that Sam knew Jack better than he did. In some ways, Daniel found it harder to view the larger picture; he saw Jack the person who needed to be healed and return to human life, not the overall issue of exactly what was in his mind and how there was no other way to access the long forgotten archives of the Ancients'. Sam nodded her head sombrely. She knew what was at stake. "How long will it take?"

Thor continued to move around the Asgard stones. "The human mind is complex, but it should be only a few moments before the link is formed. Trying to access the correct information may take longer."

"Hello?" Jack's voice said from everywhere around them. Daniel looked around him, trying to find the location of the voice before realising that it was coming from the computer. "Testing, testing. One, two, three."

"Jack?" Sam queried. "Are you okay?" Before anyone in the room could say anything else Jack appeared standing next to the stasis chamber. "Jack!" He turned to her and smiled.

"I'm here, well, I'm a hologram, but I'm here." He paused and gave a lopsided grin. "Good to see you here." He snuck a sideways glance at the other Sam. "Thor, before I start working on a weapon, can you sort out that thing?"

The clone crossed her arms and glared at all of them as Thor replied, "I am attempting to do so."

"You'd think you could be a bit nicer to the woman you've been sharing your bed with for the past few months."

"How much of you was Sam?" Jack demanded angrily. Daniel found it odd that a hologram could have such strong reactions, but then it was truly Jack's mind within it.

"I had her memories. Thankfully, not her personality." She sighed melodramatically. "Although it was incredibly tiring pretending all of the time. Did you enjoy hearing all of my stories?" She was looking directly at her twin now. "How I had to mourn the death of Janet when I really couldn't have cared less? Or being nice to all of you, God I wanted to vomit all the time. I complained to Anubis, I told him that I couldn't last much longer living with that toddler and crying teenager."

"Is that why you started working so much?" It was the only thing that clicked to be significantly different over the past few months in Daniel's mind.

"Ten points to the boring archaeologist."

"And why Daniella didn't want to be around her own mother." Jack's voice dripped with hatred for the woman he had allowed into his home and family, and into his bed.

"You wouldn't believe how much I wanted to kill her in her sleep." The real Sam snapped despite the clone's force-field and offensively approached until Teal'c held her back. The clone laughed. "Instead, though, I would climb into my bed with Jack and-" In a flash of light, the clone disappeared and Daniel looked at the others in confusion. The feeling was mirrored on Teal'c and Sam's face.

"She's in a holding cell," Jack explained and everyone turned to him. He looked directly at the only Sam remaining in the room. "We should…"

"Talk? Yeah."

"Later?"

"Definitely."


	8. Chapter 8

**Bit of an OC, Nicola heavy chapter, but it's the last in this direct series of fics. In the altered timeline in this series, it was Nicola that went on the original mission with SG-1 and met the human form Replicators.**

Nicola awoke and had no idea where she was. She opened her eyes and found a dented pillow directly in front of her. She rolled onto her back and did not recognise the comforting mattress on which she was lying. The room around her was light like a new dawn on another planet. She sat up in the bed and looked around. There was a window to her right and it was covered with a simple piece of voile, which allowed the light to stream in, making the room as bright as it was. Next to her on the bedside table was a cup of tea with steam rising from it. Nicola's brow furrowed at who exactly had put the cup there. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she put her feet into the soft, fluffy slippers on the floor and picked up the cup of tea. The cup was hot in her hands, but she took a sip anyway enjoying the slight burning sensation of the liquid slipping down her throat. It was the first thing she always did in the morning as it refreshed her throat and mouth. Slowly and with soft steps, Nicola approached the window to look out of it. She moved the voile curtain only very slightly in case there was someone outside that would notice the movement. It was the same reason she stepped lightly. Something felt incredibly wrong to her and she did not want to alert anybody to her presence until she felt more at ease.

Nicola was unable to recognise anything from the view out the window. The bedroom was on the second floor of a house and the window overlooked a back yard. All that she could tell from the view was that the house was within a residential area. There was no skyline for her to gauge any sort of location and that troubled her further. A smell permeated into the room which Nicola identified as a cooked breakfast and her curiosity could not be contained any longer. Quietly she opened the door and made her way down the staircase. Nicola followed the smell and soon found herself in a large, clean open-plan kitchen. Even though she had been making attempts over recent months to become friendlier with her team-mates, Nicola was still a private person and she was unaware who would know of her morning routine. Not even Evan who she had spent more than a few nights with knew. The exterior door to the kitchen opened and a very gentle and warm breeze entered first followed by Daniel.

"Daniel?" she questioned, crossing her arms across her chest. She was suddenly aware that she was still dressed in that in which she had slept – a vest top and sweat pants. Nicola felt quite exposed to her friend.

"Good morning," he smiled. "Breakfast is almost ready." He returned to the stove and moved some pans around.

"Daniel, what's going on?"

"What do you mean? I'm making you breakfast, silly. Sit down and drink your tea." Nicola complied with his wishes, but it did not stop her concerns. The last thing she remembered was being on an Al'kesh with Colonel O'Neill, Major Carter, Teal'c, Bra'tac and Daniel. She could remember having a conversation with Daniel concerning their growing distance, but that was all. How had she got from there to a house she did not recognise and Daniel cooking her breakfast? It was then that she realised that when she had left the bed, the other half had been slept in. Had Daniel been in the bed with her? Why did he not seem to think there was anything wrong with the situation?

"Okay, then," she would try a different question. "Where are we?"

"At home." He began moving around a lot more and when he turned around he had a plate in each hand. "Pancakes, bacon and maple syrup. Just how you like it." He put a plate down in front of her and then climbed up onto the stool opposite her, with his own plate in front of him.

"Where's home?" she asked.

"Have you had another dream?" he asked, looking directly at her. She crossed her arms against her chest again, feeling exposed once more. "Please eat." There was such concern in his voice that she smiled uncomfortably at him, but picked up her fork with her right hand. Breaking off a piece of pancake, Nicola soaked it in some syrup and then put it in her mouth. Once Daniel was satisfied that she had started eating, he continued. "You often wake up dazed after you've had a nightmare. This is our home in the suburbs in New York. We both work at the museum, but chose the commute over living in NYC itself." He smiled at the obviously fond memories, however nothing sounded at all familiar to Nicola. "Ever since Janet's death, you started having these nightmares. You made some bad choices, got your heart broken a bit more than it already was."

"What?" she asked after swallowing another mouthful of pancake. "How was my heart broken?"

"This is the part I hate telling you every morning." He took a deep breath and Nicola found herself holding her own, too. "Your relationship with Major Lorne. You were already so vulnerable and when he was finished using it to his advantage. He made life at the SGC difficult for you."

"And then I ended up here, with you? How?"

"Eat your breakfast. Maybe by the drive into work you'll have remembered."

SG – SG – SG

Sam glanced over at Teal'c, Thor and Daniel who were watching the view-screen and the image which was constantly changing on it. Jack was building something and the image was the schematics. She turned back to the stasis pod in which Jack's body still lay unconscious. Time was ticking by and she worried that the weapon would not be finished and the replicators would never be exterminated. Or that they might wait too long and Jack would be gone from her forever. Even as the holographic Jack worked, the ship was en route to Orilla where the replicators had fled to. Sam had no idea if whatever Jack was building was going to work, but she figured that it had to what with the knowledge in his mind. She hoped that his weapon would work because whilst he had sacrificed his mind to find the Lost City, his family would only be safe once the Replicators were destroyed. From the moment Sam had been brought aboard, she had known that they would be heading to Orilla not just because of Thor's commitment to ending the Replicators, but also because SG-1 needed to locate Lieutenant Carpenter. She tried not to think about that, focussing her worries on the man she loved instead.

"I've finished." Sam jumped at Jack's whisper from close to her ear. She looked at his eyes and tried to ignore the fact that he was a projection of his physical form. "Look, in case something goes wrong, I just want to say-"

She cut off his words with a replying whisper. "Don't, Jack. Don't jinx it. I spent so many months waiting to come home to you. I needed to stop her, for you to know the truth and live that life I kept hearing about. Don't consider the possibility that it won't work out now. Those months I kept myself strong for…"

"For me?"

Her throat dried and she swallowed hard. "The thought that she was there… It almost killed me."

"Sam, I… I thought it was you. You have to know that."

She reached out to stroke his cheek and her hand went right through him. The tears that had already sprung to her eyes now gently rolled down her cheeks. "I do. She knew how to be me. I just hope…"

"What?"

"I worried that you'd hold it against me. That you're going to hate me because of her." He shook his holographic head and then vanished. "Jack?" Sam called.

"I am sorry, Major Carter," Thor apologised. "I must revive him."

Sam nodded mutely as her eyes were brought back to the stasis pod. Jack still lay there motionless, his eyes peacefully closed as they had been when she got to Antarctica and first found him. Were Thor's actions too late?

SG – SG – SG

The pain ripped through her and long after the echoes of her screams faded, the pain remained. She could not breathe, the realisation and pain of her actions seemed to have paralysed her respiratory system. Nicola was not fully sure that her heart was still beating regularly. Her grip faltered on his arm and her knees buckled. His position did not change and she hung slightly from where he connected to her, increasing the pain. Images flashed through her mind - torturous ones that Fifth sent her to highlight how inferior the human race were. The odd random peaceful image flashed through the pain, before Fifth forced them out to inflict yet more pain on her. The pain was not subsiding this time, Fifth had gone too far with his revenge.

 _Waiting quietly, a hidden Jaffa approached her and Nicola glanced all around her. It was dark, the middle of the night on some random planet and her turn to take watch._

" _Tau'ri," the Jaffa whispered, "You have what our Master requires?"_

 _Nodding, Nicola handed over the spare GDO she had found in her pack. She could not remember taking a second one. In fact she had no idea how it had gotten in her pack, but suddenly her watch had beeped on the hour and she reached for it instinctively, writing down a code at the same time. "Here."_

" _And the code is yours?"_

" _No. But it will work. This will gain you access to Stargate Command."_

 _SG – SG – SG_

" _Tau'ri, kree!" A Jaffa said and Nicola turned to the aggressive voice, her weapon ready arm falling limply to her side. She tried to fight against herself, trying to regain control of her arm and use the Zat on the two Jaffa standing nearby. It was useless. "Where is SG-1?"_

" _Just in there," her voice said. "They're rescuing O'Neill and Carter."_

" _Good. Make sure they are both unharmed."_

" _Tell it to your own men."_

" _Your next mission?" The Jaffa demanded and Nicola watched helplessly as her arm passed him a note with the planet designation and dates and times._

" _Lieutenant?" Came someone's shout and Nicola turned from the Jaffa, her mind wiping as she did so._

 _SG – SG – SG_

" _So," Sarah Gardner whispered. Internally Nicola felt afraid, but part of her also felt completely at peace. "You are sure that Major Carter will be on this planet at the time you say?" Nicola nodded and Sarah stroked her face, smiling. "Good. Because if she is not, He will not be happy."_

 _She wanted to ask who He was, but Nicola's entire being was paralysed. "Don't worry," Sarah reassured, "Your time being my little friend will soon be over. Soon you will be free." Their eyes met and Sarah's glowed bright yellow. "But by the time you realise the truth, it will be too late, you will have lost him."_

 _SG – SG – SG_

" _Go to sleep, Nicola." Evan said, sitting next to her. Nicola's head felt fuzzy as she closed her eyes. She was drunk. "What's going on with you, Nic?" he whispered into the silence. "It's one thing to use me just for sex, but drunkenly… You must know I care about you far too much to take advantage of you in this state. But then you don't know, do you? You're one of a kind, Nicola Carpenter, I just wish you'd realise that."_

He withdrew his hand from Nicola's head and she fell, barely registering the force with which her knees impacted the floor, followed by her side, shoulder and head. The pain still throbbed, but there was now an element of relief that she was lying on the cool metal floor. Sobbing one last time as the reality of her hidden memories hit her full force. She had never heard Evan's last words to her, never truly realised what she had meant to him. Worse than all of that, Nicola had never known that she had been the Zatarc, she had allowed the base to be infiltrated by early model Super-Soldiers, she had allowed Major Carter to be taken as a host and replaced with a clone. It was all her fault.

"They are killing us."

Nicola managed to half open her eyes and looked up at Fifth. He looked very worried. Still unable to move, Nicola forced her voice to work. "Worried?"

He glared down at her. "They have a new weapon. They can exterminate us all." She could only assume that the weapon had been created by Thor and that, maybe, Colonel O'Neill was back to his normal self. "I will make them stop."

"They won't. Not if they have a way of killing your entire race." Struggling, Nicola managed to lift herself up off of the floor slightly. Her vision blurred and nausea washed over her with the change in orientation of her head. She missed the cool, comforting, stable floor.

"I'll tell them I have you, that I will kill you unless they stop." There was an evil glint in his eye and Nicola had a sudden deep sadness for him. She had caused him to evolve into this. She had gained his trust, used his innocence and then abandoned him. She had betrayed him and now he was hell-bent on destroying her entire kind.

"They'll never believe you. You tell them I'm here and they won't stop until they get me back." Nicola knew her team well enough, SG-1 were renowned for never leaving a man behind.

Fifth stood up straight again and seemed to be considering something. A smile formed on his face and Nicola's brow furrowed. "You made me betray my people and now I am the only one left. I will make you understand what it is to be lonely." Before she could answer or make any sort of comeback, Fifth slipped his hand into her brain through her forehead and skull once more. This time Nicola knew that the images she saw were the truth, that they were in fact her memories and he was unlocking them one by one for her. The programming which had been hidden within her when her task had been completed came back and she knew everything, every single occasion that she had betrayed her people, Jaffa that she had killed after a civil conversation, even once when she had instructed a Jaffa to hurt her. Lieutenant Nicola Carpenter had indeed been the Zatarc. As a new pain flooded her body, an emotional pain rather than physical, Nicola found the world around her immediately vanish. The grey replicator blocks of the ship were replaced with the lush greenery of a planet and in the distance she could hear her team-mates calling to her, the betrayer.

 **The flashbacks for Nicola are as following: a missing Zatarc scene in More Than I Want To, where Nicola gave the Jaffa a way to access and attack SGC; a missing Zatarc scene from More than Mini, episode Unnatural Selection where SG1 rescued a captive Sam and Jack where Sam's DNA was taken for a clone to be made; a missing Zatarc scene between Sarah/Osiris and Nicola ensuring that Sam would be able to replaced with a clone; and a drunken scene from More Than You.**

 **Yep, I finally answered who the Zatarc is. And I revealed the clone thing. There's only one mystery left now!**


	9. Chapter 9

Slipping his hand into the weapon he had created moments earlier, Jack felt excitement and life flow through him. He was standing in a forest on Orilla, the disruptor on his right arm as if it were a part of him and not like a hand gun. Thor had explained to him what it did after all knowledge of the Ancients had been removed from his mind and all that Jack really needed to know was that it severed a link between Replicator pieces, effectively killing them. As soon as the spider-like Replicators began approaching him, Jack started firing the weapon relishing the sight of tiny Replicator cells fall to the floor like dust. It felt good for him to be back in the field, in control of his own mind and killing things. With the added knowledge that the woman he loved was waiting for him aboard the _Daniel Jackson_ , Jack was actually enjoying himself.

A few days earlier and as far as Jack had known, everything was happy and fine. He lived with the woman he loved, his daughter, a soon to be adopted daughter and he worked in the best job imaginable. In short, Colonel Jack O'Neill had pretty much everything he could desire. That was until he allowed his brain to be re-written by the Ancient repository and then the discovery that the woman with whom he had been sharing a bed and a life, was a clone spy sent by Anubis. By the point of discovering this, Jack had lost the ability to communicate with his friends and his mind had become increasingly set on staying alive to see the real Samantha Carter. He hated himself for having missed the signs, for not realising that there was something wrong with Sam. He had allowed the spy to be alone with his daughter who was without a doubt the most important thing in the world. Now all that he needed to do was destroy the damn Replicators and then he could return home where his family would come first. The decision had been made and as he fired the disruptor at more approaching spiders, Jack knew that this would be his last ever off-world mission.

"Sweet!" Jack smiled and turned to Daniel who stood there with his automatic shotgun, firing on the enemy. Daniel rolled his eyes at Jack's enthusiasm and Jack noticed Teal'c's head move very slightly in a nod. "Thor," Jack said to the Asgard who remained on his ship. "This weapon rocks."

"I am ready to fire."

Jack glanced at Daniel and saw the moment of regret on his friend's face. When Thor fired the weapon at the Replicator vessel, all cells would immediately lose coherence and if Carpenter were aboard, she would likely be injured. Scans had not relieved any human presence but there was very heavy shielding and Jack did have the hope that she was going to be found safe. The odds were against that resolution. "Go ahead." Jack continued firing on any Replicators that dared to approach and after a few long moments a loud and low rumbling was heard by all three of them.

"The weapon worked," Thor announced, "but the ship did manage to escape."

Jack swore and allowed his right arm to fall to his side. All of this and there was still a threat out there. Maybe there would never be a right time for him to retire from active duty. He could not believe that Anubis was gone and they missed the opportunity to rid the galaxy of the next big threat.

"Jack, we're picking up another life form."

"Where, Sam?" Sam had remained aboard the _Daniel Jackson_ to help Thor with his scans and because both she and Jack had thought it wisest for her to not head straight into combat after her months in captivity.

"North by north west according to what we'd class as polar north. Good luck." Jack nodded to himself and the other two men as they began their search. With no words needed, the three of them spread out and began calling to Carpenter. Jack and Teal'c both began shouting "Lieutenant Carpenter" whilst Daniel simply called "Nicola". Jack had to admit that at that precise moment all that he wanted was to find Carpenter, fly home and spend time with his girls. He knew that it would not be easy with regards to Sam, but it had been her that had illegally come through the Stargate to sort things out with him. It had been Sam who had admitted that she wanted to be with him, that she wanted to take the risky chance she had never taken before. It Was Osiris' intervention that had prevented her from finishing her sentence: _"Jack, try and be serious. Are we really saying...?"_ It had been his Sam that had wanted to start something with him and the clone Sam who had to continue down that path. Jack knew there was a possibility that the real Sam had never been made a host to Osiris because the Sam he had lived with for those months had every mark of being a host and Osiris dying within her.

"Jack, over here!"

Following the sound of Daniel's yell, Jack and Teal'c soon came upon Carpenter lying nearby unconscious on the floor and Daniel kneeling over her. "Lieutenant?"

"Sir?" Her voice was croaky as if she were on the way to losing her voice.

"You're alright now, Lieutenant."

"Yeah, you're safe now, Nicola." Daniel put a hand to her elbow around her back and helped her into a sitting position. "The Replicators are gone and we're gonna get you home." Jack considered the young, pale faced lieutenant and saw something different about her. He had a respect for her that had come from her ability to join a well-established and slightly dysfunctional military unit and still be able to get on with her job. Her bond with the team had been cemented when she had gone with them against General Hammond's orders to rescue Sam from Osiris. Her relationship had always been strongest with Daniel, Jack knew and now she seemed to have a problem believing him.

"Come on, campers," Jack said trying to dismiss his thoughts. "Thor, four to beam up." He grinned at Teal'c.

SG – SG – SG

Doctor Elizabeth Weir could not quite believe how much she had to pack after such a short time in the SGC. She smiled to herself with the thought that perhaps she was simply living up to the traditional female stereotype. All was safe with the world once more, the world that just a few days ago she had never realised was under such threat. SG-1 had returned from the Asgard with Colonel O'Neill restored to full health and _human_ brain. Sadly this meant that no one had access to the phenomenal knowledge that he had possessed. The team had also returned with a new disruptor weapon which could be used when the, now much more local threat, Replicators made any attacking move. Everything considered, Elizabeth's time at the SGC could be considered successful.

Okay, so the Replicators were a bigger threat than they ever had been, but they did have the weapon and Anubis had been replaced by Ba'al. There was always tomorrow.

Elizabeth glanced up at the door to her office and saw Colonel O'Neill standing there. He gently knocked on the door frame and smiled at her. "Come on in, Colonel O'Neill." He took a few steps in and Elizabeth stood up straight, giving him her full attention. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm … good, actually. Better than the last time I spoke with you."

"I haven't actually spoken with you with a fully human mind, have I?"

"Some would argue no one ever has."

"Quite," she replied unsurely. "I feel I have to thank you again. For everything that you did."

"All in a day's work. Or something." She nodded, something telling her that he did not mean that last statement. "Anyway, are you going somewhere, Doctor?"

"Someone uncovered an Ancient base right here on Earth and I'm being sent to oversee it." She felt more excited about the new posting as there was a lot less to learn. She could, temporarily, forget everything she had been trying to cram in concerning Goa'uld politics and return to the much simpler human politics. A week ago, Elizabeth would never have referred to the politics she dealt with on a daily basis as simple, but in comparison to numerous alien races spread across the galaxy and human form Replicators who wanted nothing more than domination, Elizabeth was glad to be getting out of it.

"That man should be fired."

"Or promoted." His eyes met hers in disbelief and confusion. She nodded with a smile on her face. "I've been authorized to grant you a promotion to Brigadier General and the keys to this base."

"Oh," Jack's mouth fell open. It was not the exact reaction that Elizabeth had expected. "I appreciate the offer. It's certainly an opportunity, but I've been thinking of taking a step down not up."

"How so?"

"Been thinking about retiring. Turns out," he smiled, "the woman I've been living with wasn't really herself. My family needs to recover. They need to come first."

"They might still give you the keys as a civilian. Gets around the regulations, too."

"Civilian, you say."

Elizabeth nodded, putting another book into the box. "They're crazy enough to have done it before."


	10. Chapter 10

"Teal'c, that is incredibly deep." Daniel laughed at his friend and put the beer bottle to his mouth only to find that it was empty.

"Indeed." The Jaffa allowed a small smirk to play on his lips as he raised one eyebrow in reply.

"I'm outta beer," Daniel remarked and moved toward the edge of the sofa.

"I'll get you one," Sam offered and Daniel shook his head.

"It's okay, you've been through more than the rest of us. Rest. I'll check on how Jack's cremating the food, anyway."

"Okay." She smiled and it made Daniel pause in getting up. It might be the alcohol clouding his mind, but she had not smiled that happily in months. Maybe it was the hindsight knowledge that it had not been Sam for those months.

"I'm so glad you're home, Sam. Have I told you that?" The team had been home for over a week and had been put on leave until a decision was made with regards to the new commander of the SGC. Sam and Jack had spent a lot of the week alone with their family, but Daniel and Teal'c had managed to invite themselves around for dinner most evenings. Even General Hammond had popped in the night before for dinner with his wife and Grand-children. Daniel had taken the first two days to relax at home and did actually manage to forget everything related to work and aliens.

"You're drunk, Daniel."

"Am not."

"You are highly inebriated, Daniel Jackson."

Daniel stared at Sam then Teal'c, then back to Sam. "Doesn't make it any less true. I'm hungry." Ignoring his friends' sniggering, Daniel headed toward the kitchen and then out through to where Jack was manning the barbeque. Daniella was upstairs having a nap, but Cassie was outside helping Jack to cook. Daniel marveled at the teenage girl and everything she had been through in recent months. Her adopted mother had died trying to save another's life and then the whole Sam issue at the O'Neill-Carter residence. Being marooned on a planet as the only survivor of a deadly plague would make one incredibly resilient. He paused near the doorway as Jack and Cassie were in the middle of a conversation.

"You sure you're okay?" Cassie seemed to be repeating.

"Shouldn't it be me asking you that?"

"Why? You're the one who just had his brain re-written, spent time successfully in suspended animation and discovered his girlfriend was an evil spy. I'm fine, I got to see the look on Sasha's face when she saw the Stargate activate."

"She seems to be handling the news okay."

"She loves Daniella and you guys. After putting up living with you all these years, she can cope with pretty much anything."

"Funny," Jack replied. "Honestly, kid, are you okay?"

There was a long pause and Daniel now found himself unable to make his presence known because it sounded as if Cassie were struggling with answering. If he were to interrupt now, she might never answer him. Eventually, she replied, "It's Sam, isn't it? I mean, so she doesn't have certain memories. It doesn't change anything."

"She'll take time getting used to things around here. The routines that we have." There was another pause. "She hasn't really mourned your mom yet."

"That's okay, I haven't finished mourning her yet." Daniel heard movement and could only imagine that Jack was giving her a comforting hug. "Alright, that's enough sappy stuff." Jack coughed and Daniel could hear Cassie giggle. "Do you wanna go tell the others that the food is ready?"

"Jack, the food was ready ages ago. Now... Now, it's burnt to a crisp."

Daniel stepped into the doorway. "Ah, just the way I don't like it." He smiled at the others and they smiled in reply. Cassie moved past him, to pass on Jack's message and Jack held out a burger for Daniel. "Thanks."

"You need another drink?"

Daniel remembered his empty beer bottle and was not actually sure where he had left it. Maybe he had drunk too much. "Nah, I'm good. So," he paused.

"Yes, Daniel?" Jack took another mouthful from his glass of coke.

"What happens now? I mean, with SG-1 if you do take the new post."

Jack seemed to study Daniel's face for a long moment. "Even if I don't take the new post, Danny, Sam and I can't be in the same chain of command. I have no idea what role I'm going to take, but I think you can count on me not being on SG-1 anymore."

Daniel saw a sadness in his friend's eyes that he was positive was mirrored in his own. It had been Jack and him who had begun this journey, this adventure when he had been a ridiculed scientist able to crack the code and Jack had been a broken man willing death to take him. Sobering, Daniel considered how much his friend had changed, maybe even grown up. "So Sam's gonna get command? Can you give her the command if you become the boss man?"

"I'm not sure Sam wants it. She's too important for the entire project, but she wants to be at home a lot more, too."

"Fair enough, especially after the past year. We'll get someone new then?"

"Yeah, a replacement for Sam and Carpenter."

"What? Nicola? Where's Nicola going?" The voices of Sam and Cassie were approaching, but Daniel could only focus on Jack who seemed to be dodging his eyes now.

"She quit, Daniel. She told me she'd wanted to after the whole torture thing with Osiris, but she'd stuck it out."

"What changed now?" Daniel could not believe this. The team was falling apart and he had not known there were such problems.

Jack shrugged. "Requested a change of position. She's over at Area 51. Started yesterday." He was still avoiding Daniel's eyes.

"Finally, food." Daniel gave a glance at Sam, Cassie and Teal'c casually getting dinner from Jack. "What took you so long, Jack?"

"Where's the salad?" Cassie asked.

"Salad! Salad is for wimps. Have a big juicy burger instead." Jack shoved a burger onto her plate anyway and Cassie raised an eyebrow at it.

"Juicy? Uh, Jack this looks more like a lump of coal than a burger."

"Cassie's right," Sam agreed.

"The food is cooked to an adequate state."

Daniel looked around at his team, his family and noticed how they were all happy and smiling. A small smile formed on his face. Everyone was so happy, but he felt like something was missing.

SG – SG – SG

As he entered the lounge of his house, Jack could not help but smile at the sight in front of him. Fast asleep in one armchair was Cassie and across the room lying quite comfortably on the sister chair was his almost two year old daughter. She had awoken whilst Uncle Daniel and Uncle Teal'c were still around and had then refused to go back to sleep after hearing their voices. Eventually she had fallen asleep in Uncle Teal'c's arms and he had left her on the chair when he dragged a very down Daniel out of the front door. Jack believed he was the only one to notice Daniel's change in mood after he informed him about Carpenter. He honestly knew nothing else about her being granted a transfer, and he assumed that she would have told Daniel, the file had not come across his desk yet. He had perked up as the evening wore on, but it had been clear to Jack that he was not right. Jack dismissed those worries as he looked at the three most important girls in his life. Sitting on the couch was Sam and he quickly joined her, pulling her towards him. She put up no fight as she relaxed against his side and he let out a deep breath. Despite the fact that he had been home all week long and aside from a mission debrief and a barrage of health tests, Jack still felt tired. He figured that it was the past few months catching up on him, if not the past seven or eight years. There was finally a feeling of contentment within him.

Sam snuggled against his chest and he placed a gentle kiss atop her head. "What now?"

Shrugging, Jack started absently stroking her arm, drawing circles and changing the direction every few turns. "I cooked so you should clean up."

She playfully and lightly punched him in the stomach. "Cheeky git." They were both whispering in the hopes that they woke neither of their girls. "I meant with work and everything."

"We'll work it out. We have two kids to bring up now."

"Don't remind me." He felt her smile against his chest. "Before everything changed, I was a single mother of one who just happened to live with the father. I come back and, well, I've got a partner and a teenager to be mother to."

"And you wouldn't change it." A silence fell over them as Jack regretted his comment. Of course she regretted not being there the past few months. They had still barely spoken of her ordeal and he was none the wiser as to if she had been taken as a host to Osiris. Part of him did not want to ask her, to bring everything back up and he would be happy to live in blissful ignorance. The other part of him wanted to know so that he could share those experiences with her and help her through it. "I am sorry." His voice was even quieter than before. "I should have noticed something." Sometimes awful feelings came over him and sometimes they woke him up. Every night since Sam's safe arrival home Jack had awoken in the middle of the night and simply watched her. She was not physically any different to the Sam who had lain in the same bed a week earlier, except for a slightly longer hair style. He knew that he had to stop thinking along those lines and that he had to focus on the _now_.

"Don't. The conversation that started _us_ , that was me. She was me. She had no motive other than pass on information and maybe, if the time came, sabotage a mission. Anubis showed me the recordings, thinking that to see what she was thinking about you and Danni, that it would hurt me. She didn't want to be around either of you, that's part of why she started working so much. It wasn't just to gain more information. She had a role to play."

"She played it well."

"Maybe you should try and speak with her. When's she being moved to Area 51?"

"When we've gained a bit more information. She has nothing to fight for because she'll never be released. She hasn't been very forthcoming." They sat in silence again until Jack said, "I understand if you want…" He had no idea what he wanted to try and say. Was he trying to give her an out, an excuse?

Swiftly Sam moved her head and kissed him firmly on the lips. He inhaled deeply, registering her scent as he stroked her cheek. She made a whimpering noise and he, too, made some incoherent noise before she pulled away. "Jack," she whispered huskily. "All I could think about during these past few months was how I wanted to be home with my family, with you. I heard all of her details about your life, your relationship, my daughter and I never gave up. I wanted to take them back from her. I've missed so much." She paused and sighed. "Hell, Jack, I missed Janet's…" Her eyes met his. "I'm not missing anything else." They both leaned toward each other and their lips met, kissing each other deeply until Cassie's voice came from across the room.

"Eww, guys, get a room."

SG – SG – SG

The End.

 **A/N:** There is a sequel, and the final chapter of More Than Friends: Part 1, shows Nicola leaving the SGC as was mentioned by Jack to Daniel. The sequel will run parallel to More Than Friends: Part 2.

 **A/N:** As I said on an earlier chapter, I've revealed the clone and Zatarc, anything left? Oh, yeah a few odd scenes from Sasha in More Than You. Hmmm, what could she be up to? For now, consider this a happy ending!


End file.
